Ukraine Strikes St. Petersburg Oil Terminal After U.S. Demand to Stop
Ukraine struck a large Russian oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Oct. 18. The attack came after President Trump had demanded that Ukraine stop attacks on Russian oil facilities, according to the New York Times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said Ukraine would restart attacks on Russian oil refineries despite Trump's cease-fire declaration, a proposal to stop fighting. That statement was reported on Oct. 16.
Drone strikes early on Oct. 18 hit two St. Petersburg oil terminals, according to the Kyiv Post. The same strikes hit a VK data center, an Ozon warehouse and a highway bridge in the city.
The St. Petersburg strikes followed limits placed on Starshield, a satellite communications system designed for government use. SpaceX states that Starshield leverages Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. The order to limit Starshield for Ukraine came from inside the White House, according to Reuters.
Ukraine said the Starshield restrictions caused disruptions to several combat operations. Ukraine also said some military operations were jeopardized due to the restrictions. Ukrainian soldiers said slower Starlink speeds impaired the military's ability to detect and intercept incoming missiles and drones.
Ukraine has built a long-range drone campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure. Its Defence Ministry reported Ukraine can now reach targets in Russia up to 1,750 km away, expanding deep-strike range by 2.5 times.
In June deep-strike operations, Ukraine struck 11 Russian oil refineries and 8 defense industry facilities. Its maximum confirmed strike range exceeded 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine's state border. In August deep-strike operations, Ukraine hit 12 refineries and 2 Russian defense industry enterprises. In July middle-strike operations, Ukrainian forces struck TES-Terminal-1.
