Support The Moscow Times!

Drone Crashes Into St. Petersburg Oil Refinery

Smoke billowing from the Nevsky Mazut oil refinery in St. Petersburg. Social media

An unmanned drone crashed near the center of St. Petersburg on Wednesday, causing an explosion at an oil refinery, local media reported, marking the second such incident in the city over the past month. 

According to the news outlet Fontanka, which cites anonymous sources, a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system shot at the drone at around 4:20 a.m. local time.

However, the aircraft reportedly flew for another half an hour until finally crashing on the grounds of the Nevsky Mazut refinery, causing an explosion and a blaze that has since been put out by firefighters. 

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov referred to the explosion as a “loud clap” and an “incident” in which he said no one was hurt.

“There was no substantial damage to property,” Beglov wrote on the messaging app Telegram. 

He did not mention the drone specifically.

The RBC-Ukraine news outlet, citing an anonymous Ukrainian military intelligence source, reported that Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR was behind the drone strike.

“It's significant that they used the S-400 to hit our drones,” the source was quoted as saying, referring to the type of anti-aircraft system reportedly used to down the drone.  

“It’s very interesting how Russian air defense works since after the drone was allegedly shot down, it still fell on the grounds of our target,” they added.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has not commented on the incident.

Earlier this month, a series of drone strikes claimed by Ukraine sparked fires at oil and gas facilities in northwestern Russia’s Leningrad region and St. Petersburg.

Authorities reportedly limited internet last week to improve anti-drone technology in northwestern Russia.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more