{"id":78,"date":"2026-07-05T02:54:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T21:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=78"},"modified":"2026-07-05T02:54:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T21:54:58","slug":"st-petersburg-port-on-fire-after-ukrainian-drones-pummel-russias-second-largest-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=78","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg port on fire after Ukrainian drones pummel Russia&#8217;s second largest city"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2F133258236.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Ukrainian drones crippled an oil refinery in Russia\u2019s second-largest city of St. Petersburg in the early morning hours Saturday, as Kyiv continued to intensify its long-range attacks hoping to force dictator Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n<p>Drones were seen flying over the city in footage shared on Telegram, and loud explosions rang out around 6:30 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n<p>Dozens of drones were launched over the region, according to Russian officials.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The St. Petersburg port area was set ablaze Saturday.  <span class=\"credit\">x\/ZelenskyyUa<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fire raged, with thick black plumes of smoke rising from the port area, which is home to the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal \u2014 one of Russia\u2019s largest fuel storage and export facilities, which reportedly produces\u00a0roughly 250,000 barrels of petroleum products a day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUkraine\u2019s Defense Forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia\u2019s war,\u201d said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday, confirming the targeted strikes <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/2073314218086969456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Ukraine also battered the main base of Russia\u2019s Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt, which Zelensky called \u201can important military target.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRussia has lost the Black Sea,\u201d the Ukrainian leader claimed in another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/2073417618715824520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post on X<\/a> Saturday. \u201cThe Ukrainian Navy has achieved what many believed was impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Zelensky approved a 40-day \u201cpressure campaign\u201d of long-range drone attacks last month.  <span class=\"credit\">ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The attacks are part of a the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/27\/world-news\/ukraine-strikes-strategic-oil-hub-supplying-moscow-for-second-time-in-june\/\">40-day \u201cpressure campaign\u201d<\/a> signed off on by Zelensky last month, tapping Ukraine\u2019s military intelligence to unleash long-range drones strikes deep into the heart of Russia to force Putin to halt his more than four-year war.<\/p>\n<p>The Russian strongman is coming under rare public criticism at home, as fuel shortages, rising inflation and military casualties cause an increasing number of people to pin the blame on Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Putin is coming under increasing criticism at home, as Russians face fuel shortages and rising inflation from the war. <span class=\"credit\">Russian Presidential Press Service via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt is a crisis,\u201d Vladimir Milov, the Kremlin\u2019s former deputy minister of energy, who lives in exile, told <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/2073417618715824520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we are seeing right now is an extreme acceleration of public admissions that we are in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The war is at a critical point, with Russian advances slowing in recent months, and experts believing that Ukraine may be on the cusp of a turning point.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Russians inspected a concrete shelter to protect against drone attacks in Kronstadt, outside St. Petersburg this week. <span class=\"credit\">ANATOLY MALTSEV\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s strikes came two days after Russian attacks <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/02\/world-news\/gut-wrenching-images-show-children-killed-in-massive-russian-airstrike-on-kyiv\/\">killed at least 31 people<\/a> and wounded more than 100 in Kyiv \u2014 in the third-deadliest assault on the capital since the war began in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile Zelensky said he spoke with President Trump Saturday \u2014 as the US <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/04\/us-news\/4th-of-july-celebrations-for-americas-250th-birthday-across-usa-live-updates\/\">marked its 250th anniversary<\/a> on the 4th of July \u2014 and that the two leaders have agreed to talk in person next week during the NATO Summit in Turkey, set to take place July 7-8 in Ankara.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPresident Trump and I discussed the current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts,\u201d Zelensky shared on social media.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Smoke rose above Kyiv Thursday after a massive Russian attack killed at least 31 people in the capital city. <span class=\"credit\">MAXYM MARUSENKO\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America\u2019s resolve is decisive. We have agreed to continue these discussions during the NATO Summit in Ankara.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukrainian drones crippled an oil refinery in Russia\u2019s second-largest city of St. Petersburg in the early morning hours Saturday, as Kyiv continued to intensify its long-range attacks hoping to force dictator Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. Drones were seen flying over the city in footage shared on Telegram, and loud explosions rang out around&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/133258236.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}