Ukraine hits major oil terminal 500 miles inside Russia, disputes Putins claim of capturing frontline town

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russian energy sites in recent months, causing fuel shortages across the country.

3 min readJul 5, 2026 05:53 AM IST

First published on: Jul 5, 2026 at 05:53 AM IST

Ukraine hits major oil terminal in Russia's St Petersburg. (Photo: AP)

Ukraine struck a major oil terminal in Russia’s St Petersburg overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, according to a BBC report. He called it key infrastructure that funds Russia’s war effort. St Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed the city faced a large drone attack and admitted the terminal was hit, though he reported no casualties.

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russian energy sites in recent months, causing fuel shortages across the country. Kyiv claims nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity is now disabled, though this figure has not been independently verified. Ukraine argues such strikes are justified since Russia depends heavily on oil and gas exports to fund its war.Putin admitted last week, for the first time, that fuel shortages exist because of Ukrainian strikes. On Saturday, he signed a law aimed at boosting domestic fuel supply.

Zelenskyy said the targets were roughly 850 km from Ukraine’s border. A video he shared showed a drone approaching the site, followed by thick black smoke. Ukraine’s military called it one of Russia’s largest terminals, capable of producing 12.5 million tonnes of fuel products yearly. Ukraine also claimed to have hit a naval base at Kronstadt, part of Russia’s Baltic Fleet. Moscow has not responded to that claim.

Last night, our Ukrainian long-range sanctions against Russia over this war reached targets near St. Petersburg. Ukraine's Defense Forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and there were also successful strikes on Kronstadt – an important… pic.twitter.com/bMHY3cL3rM— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 4, 2026

Beglov said 72 drones were shot down over the region and urged residents to stay indoors, warning of possible mobile internet disruptions.

Dispute over Kostyantynivka

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military denied Russian claims of full control over the eastern town of Kostyantynivka. Military spokesperson Maj Andriy Kovalyov said Ukrainian forces still hold the town, though small Russian infantry groups had infiltrated the area and were being cleared.Story continues below this ad

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia.

(Photo: Reuters)

This followed Putin’s claim, made a day earlier, that Russian troops captured the town in June a claim he did not support with evidence. Zelenskyy responded on Telegram, saying Putin should have no trouble meeting him there if the claim were true, and accused him of misrepresenting the battlefield situation.

Russia’s defense ministry said it downed over 500 Ukrainian drones and missiles overnight, describing Ukraine’s strikes as an attempt to shift attention from a deadly attack on Kyiv and setbacks in Kostyantynivka. Both sides appear to be positioning themselves ahead of next week’s Nato summit in Turkey.

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