Ukrainian drone attacks oil plant in St. Petersburg

During the night of January 31, Russia alleged that a Ukrainian drone had attacked the "Nevsky Mazut" plant in St. Petersburg. 

The city's governor confirmed the "incident," which "required the attention of law enforcement agencies," Rubryka reports, referring to  Russian media outlets.

Local residents reported hearing "rumbling" and "explosions" around 5 a.m. According to the local newspaper "Fontanka," Pulkovo Airport implemented the "Kilim" plan from 03:53 to 05:11, which means closed airspace due to an unknown object.

According to the publication, all of this was allegedly caused by a Ukrainian drone. Russian sources claim that a downed Ukrainian UAV fell and damaged several oil tanker trucks at the Nevskyi Mazut refinery on the Glukhoozerskoye Highway, as well as cars.

The publication also states that around 4:20 a.m., air defense attempted to down drones on approach to St. Petersburg, prompting the deployment of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. Allegedly, the drone was shot down over Kolpino, but it continued to fly and eventually crashed on the territory of the Nevsky Mazut plant at 4:50 a.m.

"At night, residents of neighborhoods near Glukhoozerskoye Highway heard a loud bang. An incident occurred at the industrial site in the Nevsky District, which required the attention of law enforcement agencies," Governor Aleksandr Beglov said.

According to the official, there were supposedly no casualties and no significant damage to property. Currently, investigative actions are ongoing at the plant.

Later, a source in the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence told the Ukrainian Pravda about the involvement of their officers in this special operation.

As the interlocutor explained, the Russians attempted to shoot down a Ukrainian UAV with the S-400 complex — the most powerful air defense system in the Russian arsenal. However, the downing proved ineffective as the drone still managed to crash into the territory of the Nevsky refinery.

"The S-400 was notably used to target our drones. It is very interesting to see how this Russian air defense system works, as despite the alleged drone downing, it still managed to hit our target's territory," the source explained.

The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence assured that "planned work will continue."

What we know about drone attacks on St. Petersburg

Tonight's incident is not the first UAV attack by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence on St. Petersburg facilities.

For example, on September 3, a large fire broke out at an oil depot in the Krasnogvardeysky district of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Also, on January 18, the Russian side reported a so-called "attempted attack" on an oil depot in St. Petersburg.

However, according to media sources in the special services, the attack was confirmed as a special operation by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, which was successful. In addition, the source claimed that there was evidence of hits on targets.

Moreover, on January 21, an attack by Ukrainian drones suspended the operation of the Russian Novatek plant, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea.