Ukraine Strikes Major Oil Terminal 500 Miles Inside Russia as Kyiv Death Toll Climbs to 31
Ukraine strikes a major oil terminal in Russia’s St. Petersburg overnight while also targeting a naval base at Kronstadt, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian forces struck a business in Dnipro and the death toll from an earlier attack on Kyiv rose to 31. [1] [2] [4]
Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy and Naval Targets
Ukraine struck a major oil terminal in Russia’s St. Petersburg overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, according to a BBC report. [1] He called it key infrastructure that funds Russia’s war effort. [1] St. Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed the city faced a large drone attack and admitted the terminal was hit, though he reported no casualties. [1] Beglov said 72 drones were shot down over the region and urged residents to stay indoors, warning of possible mobile internet disruptions. [1] Zelenskyy said the targets were roughly 850 km from Ukraine’s border. [1] A video he shared showed a drone approaching the site, followed by thick black smoke. [1] Ukraine’s military called it one of Russia’s largest terminals, capable of producing 12.5 million tonnes of fuel products yearly. [1] Ukraine also claimed to have hit a naval base at Kronstadt, part of Russia’s Baltic Fleet. [1] Moscow has not responded to that claim. [1]
Russian forces strike a business in Dnipro, Ukraine. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Impact on Russian Fuel Supply and War Funding
Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russian energy sites in recent months, causing fuel shortages across the country. [1] Kyiv claims nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity is now disabled, though this figure has not been independently verified. [1] Ukraine argues such strikes are justified since Russia depends heavily on oil and gas exports to fund its war. [1] Putin admitted last week, for the first time, that fuel shortages exist because of Ukrainian strikes. [1] On Saturday, he signed a law aimed at boosting domestic fuel supply. [1]
Russian Attack on Dnipro Business
Russian forces attacked Dnipro on the morning of 5 July, striking one of the city's businesses. [2] An air-raid warning was issued in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast at 04:50. [2] At 04:58, Ukraine's Air Force warned that a Russian missile was heading north-west over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. [2] Explosions were reported in the city almost simultaneously. [2] Oleksandr Hanzha, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, stated: "The enemy has attacked Dnipro. It has struck a business. Information on casualties is being confirmed." [2]
Rising Death Toll from Kyiv Strike
A total of 31 people were killed and 102 were injured as a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv on 2 July. [4] Rescue workers have completed rescue and recovery operations at the site of a Russian strike on a 16-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district. [4] Today, during the work on the 11th-12th floors, about 42 cubic metres of construction debris were cleared. [4] With the help of an XCMG QY75K crane, deployed from the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Rivne Oblast, 24 fragments of reinforced concrete slabs with a total weight of about 53 tonnes were removed from these floors. [4] The remains of bodies discovered during the work have been handed over to National Police officers for forensic examination. [4] A total of 30 rescue workers and eight pieces of equipment from the Kyiv State Emergency Service were involved in dealing with the aftermath. [4] Overall, as of 4 July, 31 people have been killed and 102 injured as a result of the Russian attack on 2 July. [4]
Ukrainian drone strikes a major oil terminal in St. Petersburg, Russia, producing thick black smoke. — Source: elpais
Dispute Over Control of Kostyantynivka
Ukraine’s military denied Russian claims of full control over the eastern town of Kostyantynivka. [1] Military spokesperson Maj Andriy Kovalyov said Ukrainian forces still hold the town, though small Russian infantry groups had infiltrated the area and were being cleared. [1] This followed Putin’s claim, made a day earlier, that Russian troops captured the town in June, a claim he did not support with evidence. [1] Zelenskyy responded on Telegram, saying Putin should have no trouble meeting him there if the claim were true, and accused him of misrepresenting the battlefield situation. [1]
Context of Ukrainian Long-Range Capabilities
Taras, the head of a local defense company, has spent months with his colleagues developing and testing one of the weapons currently being used to strike Russian strongholds, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg. [3] The Bars-SM missile-drone program, developed in 2025, has become a key component of Ukraine’s offensive arsenal. [3] It is one of the weapons that the troops are using to attack the southern front. [3] Other sources consulted in recent days in the Ukrainian capital believe that this offensive, with its serious impacts on strategic points in the north, as well as in the south aimed at isolating Crimea, is achieving objectives that have never been obtained before. [3] Targeting critical infrastructure within Russia, especially energy facilities, has been part of the Ukrainian strategy for the past year. [3] The tactic of strangling the illegally-annexed peninsula with frequent and targeted attacks on roads, bridges, railways and even ferries is more recent. [3] On Wednesday, June 24, Ukraine managed to cut off the power supply to Sevastopol after bombing its main power station. [3] The attacks against St. Petersburg and Moscow are the most complex and sophisticated ever carried out by Ukrainian forces, says Vadim Kushnikov, editor of Militarnyi. [3] This expert highlights the improvement in navigation and communication systems, as well as the greater range of the projectiles. [3] Russian troops are facing a shortage of surface-to-air missiles, and this is one of the reasons why Ukrainian drones and missiles are hitting targets inside Russian territory, the editor of Militarnyi explains. [3] Ukraine has obviously increased its production capacity for long- and medium-range attack weapons. [3] It has managed to win the technological war, although that doesn’t mean the advantage will last forever, says Alina Frolova, Ukraine’s former deputy minister of Defense. [3] Drones now account for over 90% of enemy losses, Minister of Defense Mikhail Fedorov stated on social media. [3] Since the beginning of 2026, they’ve attacked more than 800,000 Russian targets, including air defense systems, artillery, missile launch systems, drones, logistics vehicles, barracks, warehouses and electronic warfare systems. [3] The objective is to liberate Crimea. [3] Deoccupying Crimea is simpler than, for example, deoccupying the Donbas because of the geographical characteristics of that eastern region bordering Russia, which is connected to the Crimean Peninsula via a land corridor, Frolova comments. [3] What’s being sought in Crimea is an isolation operation, which is not going to produce short-term results. [3] The next step, according to the former minister, should be to completely disable the large bridge that crosses the Kerch Strait into Russia. [3] For Vadim Kushnikov, the focus is on isolating the Crimean Peninsula to prevent the Russians from using this vast territory against Ukraine. [3] The Bars can strike targets located up to 620 miles away. [3] It reaches speeds of up to 435 miles per hour and can reach a maximum altitude of 16,400 feet for more than two and a half hours. [3] This device measures 8.5 feet long and 7.9 feet wide. [3] Depending on the model, it has a maximum takeoff weight of 350 pounds and a warhead containing up to 132 pounds of explosives. [3] It’s equipped with a Starlink internet connection system. [3] Ukraine also employs the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile and the FP-1 and FP-2 drones, all three manufactured by Fire Point. [3] The Liutyi kamikaze drone and the Morok kamikaze drone, among others, are also produced domestically. [3]
What to watch next: Both sides appear to be positioning themselves ahead of next week’s Nato summit in Turkey, with Russia’s defense ministry stating it downed over 500 Ukrainian drones and missiles overnight while describing Ukraine’s strikes as an attempt to shift attention from a deadly attack on Kyiv and setbacks in Kostyantynivka. [1]
