As reported on the night of October 17-18, Ukrainian forces launched a massive attack on Russian digital, energy, and logistics infrastructure in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region —the largest since 2022. The Institute for the Study of War analyzes the consequences of the attack and explains the vulnerabilities it exposed in Russian defenses.
According to ISW, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a data center belonging to the Russian social network VKontakte near St. Petersburg, causing serious damage. VK's press service confirmed the strikes, stating that the company's services remain operational. However, Russian media outlets report that VK users have complained of significant disruptions to the platform following the Ukrainian attacks.
It was also reported that the Vostochnaya substation was hit, leaving about 20,000 people without electricity.
In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the St. Petersburg oil terminal and struck an Ozon marketplace warehouse in St. Petersburg, causing a major fire.
Ukrainian forces also attacked the cable-stayed bridge connecting the northern and southern parts of St. Petersburg.
As ISW emphasizes, the strikes on the Leningrad Region were significant in scale and targeted a wide range of targets. Furthermore, the campaign of strikes against Russian digital infrastructure and data centers is causing widespread service disruptions and power outages across Russia's digital ecosystem.
"This once again highlights the continuing vulnerabilities of Russia's air defense system, as well as problems in troop command and control," the analysts note.
Ukrainian Defense Forces used FP-1 drones to strike the Petersburg Oil Terminal in St. Petersburg, according to a Telegram post by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point .
Source: Kanal13
