St. Petersburg has been struck by a major wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on the closing day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), regional authorities reported.
More than 140 drones were intercepted in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko, who announced the figure on social media. No casualties or significant infrastructure damage was immediately reported.
An air alert was declared overnight, prompting residents to stay indoors. Operations at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport were suspended, with dozens of flights delayed and aircraft diverted to other airports.
This incident follows a separate drone attack on June 3—the opening day of the forum—which drew participants from over 130 countries.
The assault comes two days after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky published an open letter urging many Ukrainians to support having drones “pay a visit” to SPIEF. In the letter, he also called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet and discuss a conflict settlement.
Responding on Friday, Putin stated that meaningful negotiations are currently impossible due to Zelensky’s actions, calling the letter “inappropriate and insolent.” He reiterated Russia’s openness to talks only if root causes of the conflict are addressed. Additionally, Russian officials have raised questions about Zelensky’s legitimacy following his term expiring in May 2024 without a new election.
