Ukraine Launches Major Drone Attack on St Petersburg

Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack on the Russian city of St Petersburg and surrounding areas on Saturday, prompting Russian officials to describe it as an “unprecedented” assault as the city hosted the final day of Russia’s flagship economic forum.

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Russian authorities said more than 140 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over the surrounding Leningrad region. Regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that the attack sparked a fire at an unspecified military facility and led to the evacuation of nearby residents. He added that damage to buildings was limited.

For the first time since the start of the war, St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov urged residents to remain indoors while air defence systems responded to the threat.

Kyiv Targets Naval and Military Sites

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation struck military targets deep inside Russia, including naval arsenals and a base in Kronstadt, home to the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet.

Writing on social media, Zelensky said Ukrainian drones had travelled around 1,000km (620 miles) to reach the St Petersburg region. He described the attacks as a justified response to continuing Russian strikes on Ukraine and repeated his call for an end to the conflict.

Zelensky also said Ukrainian forces hit an oil depot in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, roughly 500km (310 miles) away. He referred to the operation as part of Ukraine’s campaign of “long-range sanctions”, a term Kyiv has used for attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure.

The latest strikes came only days after Ukrainian drones targeted areas on the outskirts of St Petersburg as Russia’s annual economic forum was beginning.

Peace Talks Remain Elusive

The attacks occurred amid renewed disagreement over potential peace negotiations.

On Thursday, Zelensky publicly called for a ceasefire and direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that it would be wrong to wait for international attention to return to the war.

In a social media post on Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said it was “time to end this war” but accused Putin of wanting to continue the fighting.

Speaking at the economic forum on Friday, Putin rejected the idea of a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky. He maintained that a ceasefire would only allow Ukraine to rebuild its military capabilities and said Russia would end the war only after achieving its objectives.

Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and abandon its ambitions to join NATO. Kyiv has consistently rejected those conditions, arguing that territorial concessions would encourage future Russian aggression.

Drone Campaign Expands in Occupied Areas

Elsewhere, authorities in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region announced restrictions on transport services following a series of Ukrainian drone attacks aimed at Russian supply routes.

The Moscow-backed administration suspended coach services on two motorways, advising residents not to use the roads for security reasons. It also halted commuter train operations and banned organised transportation of groups of children within the region.

The measures came despite Putin’s recent assertion that Russia had established full control over what Moscow calls the “Luhansk People’s Republic”.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has increasingly targeted logistics networks in occupied territory. According to an analyst interviewed by the BBC, more than 200 lorries and over 30 fuel trucks have been struck since the beginning of May.

Ukraine's Expanding Long-Range Capabilities

More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine has significantly expanded its domestic defence industry and long-range strike capabilities.

Kyiv now routinely targets sites inside Russia, particularly energy facilities, fuel depots and military infrastructure that it views as supporting Moscow’s war effort. The latest attack on the St Petersburg region underscores Ukraine’s growing ability to strike strategic targets far from the front lines.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 6 June 2026

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