Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia, setting St Petersburg oil sites ablaze
Russia says it downed 1,015 drones in its biggest attack of the war. Trump defended halting new Russia sanctions and said Zelenskyy 'doesn't want to end this war'.
At a glance
- Russia said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight into October 18 over 15 regions, Crimea and the Black Sea — the largest drone attack on Russia of the war.
- An oil terminal and the Ruchi oil depot in St Petersburg were hit; one person was killed, five were injured and about 20,000 people lost power in the Leningrad region.
- Trump defended his hold on new Russia sanctions, saying he did not want to drive Moscow 'away from the bargaining table', and accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war.
- Russian strikes killed civilians in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Volyn; Zelenskyy said Russia fired almost 2,700 drones, 1,700 bombs and 66 missiles at Ukraine in a week.
Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight into Sunday, October 18, setting oil facilities in St Petersburg ablaze in what Russia described as the largest drone attack on its territory since the full-scale war began. The strikes came as US President Donald Trump defended his decision to hold back new sanctions on Moscow.
The attack
Russia's defence ministry said 1,015 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 15 Russian regions, annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. In the Leningrad region around St Petersburg, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 145 drones were downed and about 20,000 people lost electricity.
St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said at least one person was killed and five were injured. Targets that were hit or caught fire included:
- an oil terminal in St Petersburg and the Ruchi oil depot;
- industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district, south of the city;
- several residential buildings and two houses;
- a large logistics hub of the online retailer Ozon, which caught fire;
- a data centre belonging to the tech company VK in the wider Leningrad region.
St Petersburg's main airport restricted operations and flights were disrupted.
Trump: sanctions would push Moscow away
On Friday, Trump put on hold new US sanctions against Russia just days before they were due to take effect. On Sunday he defended the move, saying he did not want to "drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table". He accused Kyiv of attacking Russian diesel refineries even though this was "seriously hurting the world diesel markets", and said Zelenskyy "doesn't want to end this war".
Trump's concern is fuel prices. On October 9 he announced that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US and global markets to ease prices that have soared since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February and Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. On October 11 he announced an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, without giving details.
European governments and many US officials say lifting pressure on Russia rewards Moscow while its war continues.
Zelenskyy: a 'historic mistake'
Zelenskyy said waiving sanctions would strengthen Vladimir Putin's war effort and that siding with Moscow would be a "historic mistake". He called Putin "a terrorist" and rejected any comparison between the two leaders. Zelenskyy said he had since given up on the "energy ceasefire", noting that Russia attacked Ukraine's energy, oil and gas facilities 76 times in the week after it was announced.
He said US–Ukraine intelligence sharing had resumed after being "blocked for some period of time", and that he had spoken with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the next diplomatic steps after talks between the two sides' negotiators in Miami on October 9.
Russian strikes on Ukraine
Russia kept up its own attacks:
| Place | What happened |
|---|---|
| Kyiv | One woman killed, three injured; a metro station, a 25-storey residential building and a medical facility hit |
| Zaporizhzhia | A woman killed and at least two people wounded, including a six-year-old girl |
| Volyn | Two people killed and 12 injured, including two children |
| Four regions | Energy facilities hit overnight, leaving tens of thousands of families without power |
Zelenskyy said that in the past week Russia had launched almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 guided bombs and 66 missiles, most of them ballistic, at Ukraine.
Why it matters
Both sides are now targeting each other's energy systems as winter approaches. Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and ports aim to cut the oil revenue that funds Moscow's war, while Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid threaten heating and electricity for millions of people. The dispute between Washington and Kyiv over sanctions also raises questions about how much pressure the US will keep on Russia during peace talks — with knock-on effects for global diesel and oil prices, including in Pakistan and the Gulf.
What happens next
US envoys are continuing talks with both sides. The key questions are whether Trump lifts his hold on sanctions, whether the "energy ceasefire" is revived, and whether the drone war on energy sites escalates further as temperatures fall.
Questions people are asking
How many drones did Ukraine launch at Russia on October 18, 2026?
Russia's defence ministry said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight over 15 regions, Crimea and the Black Sea, making it the largest drone attack on Russia since the full-scale war began.
What was hit in St Petersburg?
An oil terminal, the Ruchi oil depot, industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district, an online retailer's logistics hub and several homes. One person was killed and five were injured.
Why did Trump pause new sanctions on Russia?
Trump said new sanctions would drive Moscow 'away from the bargaining table' and undermine peace talks. He also criticised Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries, saying they were hurting world diesel markets.
