Drone attacks oil refinery in St. Petersburg; Ukraine's intelligence claims responsibility – photo, video

An explosion was heard at night in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, with Russian Telegram channels reporting a Ukrainian drone attack on the Nevsky Mazut plant. The city's governor stated that "an incident occurred on the industrial site in the Nevsky district that required the attention of law enforcement agencies." A source from Ukraine’s intelligence informed Ukrainska Pravda that this was the work of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Source: Kremlin-aligned media RBC and RIA Novosti; St. Petersburg media outlet Fontanka; Alexander Beglov, the governor of St. Petersburg; Russian Telegram channels; Ukrainska Pravda’s source in Ukraine’s intelligence.

Details: Residents reported both a "rumble" and an "explosion" at around 05:00. 

Fontanka reported that from 03:53 to 05:11, Pulkovo Airport, the city’s main international airport, was under the Kover (Carpet) protocol, a procedure to protect the airfield when potentially dangerous objects are detected in the sky.

Reportedly, a Ukrainian drone was the cause of this interruption. 

It has been reported that the drone allegedly crashed after being successfully intercepted by air defences, causing damage to several tanks at an oil refinery on Glukhoozerskoye Highway as well as vehicles.

The publication states that at around 04:20, attempts were made to intercept the UAV en route to St. Petersburg using the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.

The drone was reportedly hit over the suburb of Kolpino, yet managed to continue all the way to the Nevsky Mazut complex near the city centre, where it is said to have crashed at 04:50.

Quote from Beglov: "During the night, residents in the neighbourhoods near Glukhoozerskoye Highway heard a loud explosion. An incident occurred on the industrial premises in the Nevsky district that required the attention of law enforcement agencies."

Details: Beglov stated that there are supposedly no casualties, and that significant property damage allegedly did not occur either.

Currently, an investigation into the incident is being conducted on the premises of the plant.

Update: Ukrainska Pravda’s source said that Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence is behind this special operation. 

The source said that the Ukrainian drone successfully reached its target, and that the Russians attempted to target the UAV with the S-400 system but missed.

"The planned operation will continue," assures the source.

Background:

• On 18 January, the Russian Defence Ministry reported an attack on Leningrad Oblast, the region surrounding St. Petersburg, by Ukrainian drones, which were allegedly downed. Simultaneously, Russian Telegram channel Astra reported that a drone had crashed and exploded at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal. One of Ukrainska Pravda's sources in Defence Intelligence said that the Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot in Russia's Leningrad Oblast on the night of 17-18 January was a special operation conducted by them.
• On 19 January, an oil depot experienced a large-scale fire in the Russian city of Klintsy. The governor of Bryansk Oblast has stated that the fire supposedly erupted following the downing of a Ukrainian drone.
• On 21 January, the media reported a large explosion and fire in the Proletarsky district of the city of Tula, where the Shcheglovsky Val plant is located. This plant manufactures the Pantsir-S air-defence system, among other things.
• On 25 January, a fire broke out on the territory of an oil depot in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai. Residents reported several UAVs flying overhead. 

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