St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region was struck by a large Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Saturday, with a local port and oil infrastructure hit, Russian and Ukrainian authorities have said.An oil terminal was struck in Russia’s second city, home to six million, although St Petersburg’s governor Alexander Beglov said there were no casualties.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the revenue generating port had been struck, as had Kronstadt, an “important military target” more than 500 miles from Ukraine’s state border.“My thanks to everyone who is ensuring Ukraine's precision and carrying out our long-range sanctions plan.”Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said 72 drones were shot down but some had struck the port of Vyotsk, which handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.It comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin said that targeted strikes on Ukraine's military-industrial complex "must continue", two days after his forces launched their largest aerial attack of the war on Kyiv."I note that massive, coordinated strikes against the infrastructure of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and the facilities supporting its operation must continue," Putin said.In pictures: French volunteers support troops in UkraineA French volunteer member from the Revanche Tactical Group, which operates under the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, fires at a target as he takes part in a military training at an undisclosed location, in the Zaporizhzhia region, on July 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Getty)French volunteer members from the Revanche Tactical Group which operates under the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, take part in a military training at an undisclosed location, in the Zaporizhzhia region, on July 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine (AFP/Getty)French volunteer members from the Revanche Tactical Group, which operates under the International Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, pose for a photograph as they take part in a military training on a burning field at an undisclosed location, in the Zaporizhzhia region, on July 3, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Getty)Maira Butt4 July 2026 20:00Half a million dead but just 40sqkm gained in six months: Impact of Putin’s devastating war in numbersNearly four-and-a-half years since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s frontline advances have slowed almost to a halt, as Ukrainian counter-attacks and defensive tactics become more effective.Successes in local counterattacks have become more frequent, as Ukrainian forces scale up their use of ground robots and short-range drone warfare.Maira Butt4 July 2026 19:00Putin shrugs off fuel shortages in Russia as he ramps up attacks on UkraineDespite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine’s increasing attacks on his country’s oil refineries.He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil-producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months. The Russian leader appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago.Maira Butt4 July 2026 18:00Putin signs law amending tax code to support domestic fuel market, TASS reportsRussian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law amending Russia's tax code to incentivise boosting supply to the domestic fuel market, amid acute shortages as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes, state news agency TASS reported.TASS said that among the law's provisions are creating an excise tax mechanism to encourage the production of high-octane gasoline via blending.Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 17:00Russia says it has taken five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv, Donetsk regionsRussia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday that its forces have taken four villages in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, and one more in the neighbouring Donetsk region.In its daily briefing, the ministry said Russian forces had taken control of Shyikivka, Novyi Myr, Cherneshchyna and Druzhelyubivka in Kharkiv region, as well as Vasylivka in Donetsk region.The Independent could not verify the battlefield reports.Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 16:00Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 15:08Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 14:00Ukraine says Russia damaged more than 200 railway locomotives in 2026Russia is targeting Ukrainian railway locomotives and has destroyed or damaged more than 200 since the start of 2026 alone, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for Restoration Oleksiy Kuleba said.Russia has attacked Ukrainian railway facilities more than 1,000 times so far this year, officials say.Two locomotives were damaged during an attack on Friday evening in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Kuleba said.The volume of repair work is increasing steadily and requires significant financial resources, he said.Ukrainian state railways operator Ukrzaliznytsia handles more than 90 per cent of Ukraine's export shipments.Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 13:30Recap: St Petersburg and Leningrad under attack from large Ukrainian drone strikeRussia's second city of St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region came under a large Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Saturday, with a local port and oil infrastructure struck, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said the city of 6 million had been subjected to a "large-scale" drone attack, with the city's oil terminal struck. He said there were no casualties and that the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with.Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones had struck the port of Vysotsk, about 170 km (105 miles) northwest of St Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.Drozdenko said 72 drones had been shot down over the Leningrad region.In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Ukraine's defence forces struck port oil infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia's war, and also hit Kronstadt, an important military target more than 850 km (528 miles) from Ukraine's state border."Bryony Gooch4 July 2026 13:02Vishwam Sankaran4 July 2026 12:30
Ukraine war live: St Petersburg oil port and ‘important military target’ hit by Kyiv
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike was part of the country’s ‘long-range sanctions plan’
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