In the early hours of October 18, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks this year on Russia's St Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, setting fire to the St Petersburg oil terminal, a large oil depot, an e-commerce warehouse and a social media platform's data centre, killing 1 and injuring 5. Russia's Ministry of Defence said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Russia-Ukraine energy war has thus escalated in both directions.
Front line: Pokrovsk remains the main axis of attack Ukrainian General Staff morning report for October 18: over the past 24 hours there were 215 engagements along the entire front, 28 of them in the Pokrovsk direction, with Russian losses of more than 100 personnel. Update at 22:00 the same day: 173 engagements since midnight; Russian forces carried out 55 air strikes, dropped 178 guided bombs, deployed 5,745 kamikaze drones and shelled 1,932 times. By axis, Pokrovsk 22, Kostiantynivka 16, Kupiansk 6, Lyman 4. Russian single-day losses published by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (Ukrainian single source): 2,090 personnel, 1,372 drones, 27 artillery pieces, 6 aircraft. DeepState official snapshot comparing October 17 and 18: Russian-controlled territory about 115,617 square kilometres, no measurable change (the map has a 2–3 day safety delay). ISW assessment of October 17 (its website was blocked; the full text of the same assessment published simultaneously by its sister project Critical Threats was used): Russian forces have not consolidated positions at Dobropillia and other places; Russia is copying the tactics it used to seize Pokrovsk in February this year (drone strikes to cut supplies plus infiltration) but has not succeeded; Russian forces are at least 20.95 kilometres from the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Deep strikes: St Petersburg energy facilities attacked Targets hit included the St Petersburg oil terminal (annual throughput 12.5 million tonnes), the Ruchyi/Strumki oil depot (3,900 cubic metres of storage capacity), the Ozon warehouse, and VK's data centre in Novosergiyevka, Leningrad Oblast; a drone also hit the cable-stayed bridge on the western high-speed diametral highway. The governor of St Petersburg said 1 person was killed and 5 injured, and 12 apartment buildings were damaged; in Leningrad Oblast 4 people were hospitalised and about 20,000 lost power, and Pulkovo Airport was briefly closed. CNN said this was one of Ukraine's largest drone attacks on Russia this year — and it came just after Trump had demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian energy facilities. The Ukrainian General Staff also announced the same day that it had struck 5 targets including a Russian drone launch site near Donetsk and a repair base in Luhansk (Ukrainian single source).
Diplomacy and military aid Zelensky said on October 18 that Russia had attacked Ukraine's energy sector 76 times in the past week (Reuters). US Secretary of State Rubio said Trump will take up to 60 days to weigh sanctions on Russia (Reuters). ISW assessment of October 17 (the full text of the same assessment was published simultaneously by its sister project Critical Threats): the Ukrainian military formally rejected Russian Chief of General Staff Gerasimov's exaggerated battlefield claims of October 16; Trump signed an executive order late on the night of October 16 exempting key sanctions provisions on Russia; Poland warned that Russia may escalate sabotage of Polish logistics infrastructure this winter. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Ihnat told The Wall Street Journal that in September Russia launched 3,520 jet-powered Geran drones and Ukraine intercepted only 54% (about 90% of piston-engine types) — whether Starlink can be used to intercept jet-powered drones remained unclear as of October 17. In the early morning of October 18, a Ukrainian drone, apparently deflected by Russian electronic warfare, crashed in Lithuanian territory and damaged a car; Ukraine's Foreign Ministry formally apologised (Lithuanian media).