Ukraine Launches Large-Scale Drone Attack On Russia, Defies Trump's Demands To Leave Russian Energy Alone

Despite President Donald Trump demanding that Ukraine halt all of its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Ukrainian drones struck the St. Petersburg oil terminal yesterday, along with several other key targets in and around the city.

Russia's second-largest city was the subject of a "massive" drone attack which killed one person, wounded five, and caused fires at the oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot and industrial warehouses in the Kolpino district south of the city, St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed on Sunday.

A logistics center belonging to the e-commerce and retail company Ozon, as well as a data center operated by Russian technology company VK, were also struck. The attacks were not limited to St. Petersburg; the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that over 1,000 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over 15 regions of Russia.

The strikes come amidst deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Washington, and improving relations between Moscow and Washington.

The White House announced on Friday that it would be pausing the implementation of a significant package of sanctions which would have targeted Russia's economy, its energy exports, its financial networks, its government officials and countries who purchase large quantities of Russian oil and gas.

The Trump administration has also suspended sanctions on Russian diesel, called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced, engaged in negotiations relating to the acquisition of the international assets of a Russian oil company by U.S. business interests, declared an energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv without informing Zelensky and repeatedly blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, as opposed to the administration's own engagement in a war with Iran, for surging global fuel prices.

Trump has previously called strikes on Russian oil facilities similar to those which occurred yesterday a "disgrace," and has repeatedly told Zelensky to refrain from engaging in them.

Zelensky has, for his part, stated on various occasions that he is willing to stop strikes on Russian energy facilities if such de-escalation is reciprocated, and Russia stops its own strikes on critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

"Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine's energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times. Last night alone, there were strikes on substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions," the Ukrainian leader said on Sunday.

The attacks, Zelensky reported, killed two and injured 12.

Global oil prices remain high; Brent Crude, the international benchmark, was hovering at around $110 on Friday, its highest level since May. However, most market analysts point to ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, as opposed to continued reciprocal Russian and Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities, as the primary factor behind the spikes.