DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris first notes the oil target: the fire at the Saint-Petersburg terminal is seen as a new blow to Russian hydrocarbons, at a time when Donald Trump is pressing Kiev to give them up.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Governor Alexandre Beglov reported fires "on the territory of the Saint Petersburg oil terminal" and restricted activity at Pulkovo Airport.
- 02
In the Leningrad region, Russian defense shot down 126 drones during the night, according to Governor Alexandre Drozdenko.
- 03
Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of striking Ukrainian energy facilities 76 times since the "energy truce" announced by Donald Trump.
ANALYSIS
Paris, October 18, 2026. French media reported on Sunday, October 18, a Ukrainian drone attack on Saint Petersburg, Russia's second city, which caused a fire "on the territory of the Saint Petersburg Oil Terminal", according to the words of Governor Alexandre Beglov cited by BFMTV and Sud Ouest. The same official also mentioned fires on "civilian infrastructure" in three neighborhoods of the city.
The human toll is presented in contrasting ways. BFMTV and Sud Ouest initially relayed Mr. Beglov's version, which claimed there were no recorded casualties. France 24 wrote, in its English version, that the attack killed at least one person and hospitalized five, and that fires hit a refinery and an oil depot. Moscow's figures are attributed to their authors, without independent verification.
In the Leningrad region, Governor Alexandre Drozdenko indicated on Telegram that Russian air defense had shot down 126 drones during the night. Pulkovo Airport saw its activity "restricted" for security reasons. The social network VK reported an attack on a data center in the region, while ensuring that its services were functioning normally. BFMTV recalled that Kiev has been targeting several data centers since early October, including those of the giant Yandex.
The coverage emphasizes the energy and commercial dimension. BFMTV highlighted that Saint Petersburg and its region host infrastructure "essential for the hydrocarbon trade", a sector that Ukraine has been targeting for months in retaliation for Russian bombings. The same terminal had already been attacked in June, on the day of the opening of a major economic forum.
The diplomatic aspect serves as a backdrop. According to Sud Ouest, Donald Trump has urged Kiev to stop its strikes against Russian refineries, which he claims contribute to the rise in oil and fuel prices. He had unilaterally announced an energy truce between Moscow and Kiev a week earlier. France 24 specified that neither party had agreed to it, that the truce quickly collapsed, and that Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of having struck 76 times at Ukrainian energy facilities since the announcement.
France 24 articles finally mention links with Washington "tense in recent days" and the weakening American support for Ukraine, which places the attack in a debate on the sustainability of the Western alliance as much as on the war itself.
