DOMINANT ANGLE
Buenos Aires sees the night of drones as a test of Trump's energy truce, with Saint Petersburg on the front line and Washington in the background.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have shot down 1,015 drones; Governor Beglov reports one death and five injuries in Saint-Petersburg (Ámbito).
- 02
Two oil terminals caught fire, including Routchi, with a capacity of nearly 74,000 m³; Ozon and a VK data center were also hit (Clarín, Ámbito).
- 03
Kiev records 76 Russian attacks on energy targets since Trump's ceasefire announcement, according to Clarín.
ANALYSIS
Buenos Aires, October 18, 2026. Clarín and Ámbito report on the same night from two different angles: the first focuses on Saint Petersburg, the second on the global figure. Clarín writes that Ukraine "responded" on Sunday "to Donald Trump's latest decisions in favor of Russia" by launching "the largest attack of the war" against the second city of the neighboring country. The newspaper reports that around 150 drones targeted the birthplace of Vladimir Putin and the Leningrad region, aiming at the oil, logistics, and digital infrastructure.
A resident quoted by the EFE agency recounts: "I couldn't sleep all night. The battle between drones and anti-aircraft missiles took place literally above our heads." According to Clarín, the attack almost paralyzed a city of over five million inhabitants for several hours. Two oil terminals caught fire, including Routchi, the largest in the city, with a storage capacity of nearly 74,000 cubic meters, used to supply diesel.
Ámbito headlines an "escalation of the war in Europe": Ukraine allegedly launched over 1,000 drones against Russia. Governor Alexandre Beglov reports one death and five injuries; a logistics center of the retailer Ozon and a data center of VK were hit, which both companies confirmed. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims to have shot down 1,015 drones. The media adds that a Moscow offensive on Zaporizhzhia resulted in one Ukrainian casualty.
Both newspapers put the episode into perspective with Washington. Clarín recalls that Volodymyr Zelensky resumed strikes on Russian refineries on Thursday after Trump announced an energy truce that Russia allegedly ignored, with 76 Russian attacks on energy targets since, according to Kiev. It notes that the White House has just concluded an agreement with the Kremlin on the supply of Russian diesel to the United States and the international market, which has not yet come into effect. Ámbito points out that Zelensky questioned Trump about the suspension of sanctions against Russia, lifted for "national interest," and denounced an attack on Ukraine's energy sector.
