Waves of drones overnight and into the morning attacked St Petersburg as fires broke out after a key oil terminal, a naval base and a defence complex were struck by Ukraine13:47, 03 Jun 2026Ukraine has avenged a deadly Russian drone and missile attack on its civilians by launching major deep-strike missions overnight on military and energy targets inside Russia.‌Devastating drone waves overnight and this morning smashed into a key St. Petersburg oil terminal, the Kronstadt naval base, and a defence complex in the Tambov region.‌It was in response to a massive wave of strikes all over Ukraine 24 hours earlier in which 22 died and more than 100 were injured, one of the worst Kremlin attacks in months. Fires broke out in St Petersburg early Wednesday after the Petersburg Oil Terminal was hit by Ukrainian ‘kamikaze’ drones launched across the border 1,130 miles away.‌Thick smoke was seen pouring into the air above St Petersburg and locals reported loud explosions ringing out in the early hours. The Ukrainian strike on St Petersburg is a huge embarrassment to Russian President Vladimir Putin, not just because it is the city where he spent his childhood.‌It happened just before the multi-million pound St. Petersburg International Economic Forum - IEF - often dubbed the “Russian Davos,” was set to open in the city. A source told the Daily Mirror: "This is Putin's worst nightmare as St Petersburg is a place close to Putin's heart - but not only that."It is also a huge undermining of Putin's favourite topic of security as it shows Ukraine can ruin his big economic muscle-flex. Hitting a forum such as the IEF is aimed precisely at embarrassing Putin and hitting him where it hurts."‌The St Petersburg IEFis the Kremlin’s flagship annual business gathering, which Moscow uses to project economic resilience. According to its website it is scheduled for June 3-6. The burning site was JSC Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of the largest oil handling facilities in northwestern Russia, further embarrassing Putin.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “There are good results from our long-range sanctions. Important facilities on Russian territory were hit overnight. From our state border of Ukraine to this facility of the Russian oil industry, which is working for war, there are about 1,130 miles.”‌And, stressing no civilians were being targeted by his special operations teams, he added: "Purely military targets at the Kronstadt base were also hit. I thank our soldiers for their accuracy. The Ukrainian long-range sanctions plan is being implemented exactly as it is needed to bring peace closer.”Hours before the St Petersburg explosions Russian Telegram channels reported a strike deep inside Russia’s Tambov Oblast, southeast of Moscow. It is believed those blasts were caused as the Progress plant in Michurinsk was hit overnight and caught fire. The facility reportedly produces specialized control systems and equipment used in military aviation and missile technology.Article continues belowThe Ukrainian revenge strikes hit Russia as it is already reeling under the pressure imposed by repeated deep strike attacks on Putin’s oil facilities. The oil revenues in Russia have been at the front of Putin’s ability to bankroll his four years full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite sanctions.It is believed Russians are becoming increasingly disenchanted with Putin’s cruel war was only supposed to last a few weeks at the maximum. Now he is entrenched in a conflict that increasingly he cannot win as up to 35,000 Russian troops are being killed or injured on the Ukrainian frontline every month.