Ukraine has struck Russia's largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea during one of its biggest overnight drone attacks in months.
The aerial assault targeted the Primorsk oil port in the Leningrad region, the final station of the Baltic Pipeline System and a crucial hub for Russia's maritime exports, Ukraine's security services told multiple outlets.
More than half of the 221 drones sent to Russian territory were intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, where Lukoil facilities were also reportedly targeted, the Russian defence ministry said.
Officials reported two civilians were killed in Ukraine's Sumy region when a Russian glide bomb struck a village near the border.
Authorities in the Leningrad region said 28 drones were brought down, resulting in a fire at a vessel and a pumping station in Primorsk, although the blaze was extinguished without casualties or leaks.
The port is also central to Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' of ageing tankers used to skirt international sanctions.
The Ukrainian security services said drone strikes also hit several pumping stations feeding the Ust-Luga terminal, near the border with Estonia.
Russian state energy firm Rosatom reported a drone attack on a power unit at its Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant, near the Belarussian border.
Russian officials said drones were intercepted across at least nine other regions, including Kaluga, Novgorod, and the Moscow area, where nine drones were said to have been destroyed. Debris was recorded across several areas, but authorities insisted there were no casualties.
In Bryansk, southwest of the capital, a drone hit a bus, injuring seven people, including five civilians and two military personnel, the region's Governor Alexander Bogomaz said. Operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport were briefly suspended.
Moscow's figures, which the BBC has been unable to independently verify, suggest Thursday night's attack constituted one of the largest Ukrainian aerial bombardments in over four months.
Russia claimed to have destroyed a record 524 drones on 7 May, while Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had deployed 818 drones against their territory in recent weeks.
This aerial assault is one of the most significant for the Leningrad region since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three-and-a-half years ago, causing temporary suspension of operations at St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport.
Cross-border drone raids have become increasingly common during the conflict. In July, a sustained Ukrainian drone attack temporarily closed all of Moscow's airports.
In recent months, Ukrainian strikes have reached deeper into Russian territory, targeting refineries, fuel depots, and logistics hubs hundreds of miles from the frontlines with the aim of limiting fuel supplies and increasing costs.
These attacks have escalated and significantly affected Russia's oil refining capacity, prompting warnings from Russian media about critical shortages and long queues reported in the far eastern regions.
Strikes have also disrupted the Druzhba pipeline, affecting exports to Hungary and Slovakia, which are vital for Russia's economy.
In response, Moscow has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure as negotiations for a peace agreement falter.
The attacks coincided with a major joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, raising regional tensions further.
