More than 140 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Russia’s Leningrad region overnight in one of the largest attacks on St Petersburg since the start of the conflict, according to regional authorities.
Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said air defence systems shot down the drones during the early hours of Saturday morning. No deaths or significant damage to major infrastructure were immediately reported.
Authorities issued an air alert and advised residents to remain indoors while emergency services responded to the incident. Operations at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport were temporarily suspended, resulting in flight delays and diversions.
The attack occurred as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was drawing to a close. The annual event attracted delegates and business leaders from more than 130 countries.
It follows another large-scale drone strike on the region on June 3, which coincided with the opening day of the forum.
The latest attack came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter in which he suggested many Ukrainians would support drones paying “a visit” to the economic gathering. In the same message, Zelensky renewed his call for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible settlement to the conflict.
Speaking on Friday, Putin rejected the proposal, saying current conditions did not support meaningful negotiations. He criticised the tone of Zelensky’s message and argued that recent actions by Ukraine had undermined the prospects for productive talks.
Putin reiterated that Russia remained open to negotiations but insisted that any settlement would need to address what Moscow describes as the underlying causes of the conflict. Russian officials have also continued to question Zelensky’s legitimacy, arguing his presidential term expired in May 2024 without a new election being held.
