A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, on Saturday morning, with residents told to remain indoors .
The strike shows Kyiv’s increasing capability to hit deep within Russian territory. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov specifically warned of potential disruptions to mobile internet services.
The latest attacks came a day after Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting on the four-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it.
Thursday’s letter, the first public message Zelensky has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power, as well as some taunts about his age.
Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed 141 drones were intercepted over the Leningrad region, while Russia’s Defence Ministry stated its air defences shot down 376 Ukrainian drones. While no casualties were immediately reported, this renewed assault on St. Petersburg delivers a further embarrassing blow to President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to portray the conflict as a distant event, detached from the daily lives of Russians.
Saturday’s attack follows a previous Ukrainian drone strike on Wednesday, which set ablaze an oil terminal and hit a nearby naval base in the city, just hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum – Mr Putin’s annual showcase for investment.
Speaking at the forum, Mr Putin stated on Thursday that Russia would bolster its air defences to counter these recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have penetrated deep into his country and overshadowed the event in his hometown.
With front lines largely static due to the pervasive use of drones hindering advances, both sides are increasingly seeking an advantage through long-range strikes.
In Ukraine, one person was killed and three wounded overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as Russian forces struck three districts nearly 30 times with drones and artillery, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said Saturday.
In Zaporizhzhia, five people sought medical care after a Russian drone strike started a fire at a parking lot, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.
Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with 272 strike drones, and air defenses shot down 249 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Saturday.
