St Petersburg region hit by major Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials say

MOSCOW, July 4 - Authorities in Russia's second city of St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region said on Saturday the area suffered a major Ukrainian drone attack overnight, with a Baltic Sea port that handles oil exports reported hit.

St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city of 6 million had come under a "large-scale" drone attack. He gave no details of specific targets, but local media outlet Bumaga reported a fire at the city's oil terminal.

Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones had struck the port of Vysotsk, about 170 km (105 miles) northwest of St Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. The port handles oil, grain, coal and liquefied natural gas.

Drozdenko said 72 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region.

Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure this year, causing fuel shortages in parts of Russia.

St Petersburg, about 900 km (560 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory, has occasionally come under attack from Kyiv's drones. Targets have included the city's oil terminal and a moored warship during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June. REUTERS