Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

72 Drones Downed, St Petersburg Oil Terminal Burns

7/5/2026

31 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 72 drones were shot down over the region.
Governor Alexander Beglov reported a large-scale drone attack on the city with no casualties.
Local media Bumaga said a fire broke out at St Petersburg’s oil terminal after the attack.
The drones also struck the Baltic Sea port of Vysotsk, which handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.

History

Historical Context

In 2001 the CIA launched the first combat-use of armed MQ-1 Predator drones over Afghanistan, firing Hellfire missiles against Taliban positions after the first armed mission on 7 October 2001. The success showed how unmanned strikes could reshape regional security. Russian governors Alexander Drozdenko and Alexander Beglov now cite similar UAV raids on St Petersburg and Vysotsk, targeting oil, grain and LNG infrastructure.

1 of 2

Story summary

Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 72 drones were shot down over the region.
Governor Alexander Beglov reported a large-scale drone attack on the city with no casualties.
Local media Bumaga said a fire broke out at St Petersburg’s oil terminal after the attack.
The drones also struck the Baltic Sea port of Vysotsk, which handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.

1 / 2