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Image of an earlier drone attack: This image shows the fire at the gas plant in Ust-Luga near Saint Petersburg in mid-January
Photo: Yuri Zapalatskiy / EPA
According to media reports, a drone attack hit an oil factory in the northwestern Russian city of Saint Petersburg. After the explosion, three empty cisterns caught fire and were quickly extinguished, the respected regional Internet portal Fontanka reported on Wednesday. In addition, other buildings and vehicles were damaged. A surveillance video from a nearby bus station is said to show the moment of the impact.
Saint Petersburg is more than 1000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The Russian military has not yet commented on the attack, but reported at the same time that a drone attack on the neighboring northwestern Russian region of Pskov was repelled.
According to reports, the drone was hit by an S-400 anti-aircraft system over Saint Petersburg. Nevertheless, it was not possible to shoot down the drone, which only crashed over the oil factory half an hour later, they say. The city administration later confirmed the impact. There were no injuries or damage, the press service said.
Numerous successful Ukrainian attacks
In recent weeks, there has been an increase in successful attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil and gas infrastructure. A few days ago, drones struck an oil refinery on the Black Sea coast near the city of Tuapse.
On January 21st, Ukrainian drones hit a facility belonging to the Russian gas company Novatek in Ust-Luga near Saint Petersburg.
In Ust-Luga, Novatek processes gas into, among other things, fuel. From there the products are exported to international markets. Last year, Ukraine attacked the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and a tanker there. The attacks are part of a strategy by Kiev to disrupt Russia's raw material exports, thanks to which the Kremlin has so far had little problem financing the attack on Ukraine.
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