(ST PETERSBURG) – Satellite imagery of St Petersburg after Ukraine’s large-scale drone strike shows one oil tank destroyed at the city’s oil terminal, a second tank burned out at a nearby oil depot, a third of an Ozon warehouse destroyed and damage to two bridges.
The imagery, shared by the account Absolutely Reliable on X, was analysed in a video update by the channel Suchomimus.
At the oil terminal, damage was less severe than the large fire seen in earlier videos suggested. One oil tank is completely burned out and others are damaged to varying degrees. A second burned-out tank not highlighted in the imagery is presumed to be the remnant of a past drone strike.
Several of the damaged tanks may have been empty at the time. A couple appear to have holes in them, but the fact that the tanks were not completely burned out suggests they may have contained no oil. Others show minor damage and marks on the cladding.
The analysis assessed that the uploader was somewhat speculative about some of the damage, particularly tanks highlighted on the left. The lower left tank appears to show scuff marks, weathering and wear and tear rather than strike damage. The assessment concluded that one oil tank was destroyed and a few more were damaged to varying degrees.
At the oil depot, one tank burned out completely. The tanks at this site had been wrapped in cage protection, but the cages did not prevent the tank’s destruction, with the analysis comparing their usefulness to fitting tyres to an aeroplane. Damage here was also less severe than might have been hoped, although the fire was smaller.
At the Ozon warehouse, the building was not as badly burned out as might have been hoped. Fires at such warehouses usually spread quickly through the building, but on this occasion only a third of the warehouse was destroyed. The uploader estimated damage at over 10,000 square metres, a sizable area. The analysis noted that the fire may have spread further inside even if the roof did not collapse, meaning the interior could be more badly damaged than visible imagery shows.
Imagery indicates that two bridges were hit, not one. The southern fairway bridge was struck on the road section, though it is hard to determine whether the damage is an actual hole or superficial. Road traffic appeared to be running normally, suggesting the bridge was not holed.
The analysis suggested the drone may have missed its intended target. In Russia’s attacks against bridges in Kyiv, supporting cables have been targeted. The drone may have been intended to strike the supporting cables but missed and hit the bridge surface instead. Taking out bridges with drones is assessed as a significant challenge.
The second bridge hit was the lifting section of a railway bridge, which showed damage. The analysis suggested the drone may have been intended to strike the lifting mechanisms, which appear more vulnerable than the heavy steel section. The exact location of the lifting mechanism is unclear, though the uploader identified the area.
No satellite imagery of the data centre is available, but photographs from an earlier video showed it was the most significant strike of the attack, with drones penetrating the building and detonating inside.
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