(AP) – On Saturday morning, residents in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, were advised to remain indoors due to a significant drone attack from Ukraine. This incident occurred after the Russian president declined an invitation for dialogue with his Ukrainian counterpart, highlighting Ukraine’s increasing capability to launch attacks deep into Russian territory.
Governor Alexander Beglov urged people to stay home and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet services. Meanwhile, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko reported that 141 drones were intercepted in the skies above Leningrad.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, air defense forces managed to shoot down a total of 376 Ukrainian drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the incident, stating that Ukrainian drones flew approximately 1,000 kilometers to strike at St. Petersburg, aiming for an enemy naval arsenal and base in Kronstadt.
No casualties were reported immediately, but this attack on St. Petersburg represents yet another problematic moment for President Vladimir Putin, who has been trying to portray the conflict as something remote, not affecting everyday life in Russia.
Earlier in the week, just hours before the start of Putin’s annual investment exhibition, known as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a drone attack ignited a fire at an oil terminal and struck a nearby naval base.
At the forum, Putin declared that Russia would enhance its air defenses in response to the recent drone strikes from Ukraine. The situation has cast a shadow over events in St. Petersburg.
On Friday, Putin dismissed Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct talks regarding the ongoing conflict, labeling it “meaningless.” This moment marked Zelensky’s first open message directed at Putin since the onset of the war in 2022, containing sharp criticism of Putin’s nearly three decades of leadership, along with some light-hearted jabs about his age.
As both sides contend with drone swarms hindering advances and limited movement on the front lines, they are attempting to assert dominance through long-range assaults.
In Ukraine, Russian forces launched nearly 30 drone and artillery strikes across three districts in the Dnipropetrovsk region, resulting in one death and three injuries, as reported by regional chief Oleksandr Hanza. Additionally, in Zaporizhia, seven individuals required medical attention following a Russian drone strike that sparked a fire in a parking area, according to regional director Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia targeted the nation with 272 attack drones, of which 249 were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.
