Ukraine Drone Attack Targets St Petersburg, Russia Intercepts 376 Drones

A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted St Petersburg, and Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 376 drones as residents were told not to leave their homes.

The attack came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused an offer to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, and St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said three people sustained minor injuries.

ABC News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that “Last night, our drones covered a distance of about 1,000 kilometers to the St Petersburg region — to the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt,” framing the strikes as reaching Russian navy assets.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Saturday that things would “only get worse for Russia,” and that the intensity of attacks “will continue to grow,” as the renewed strikes unfolded during Russia’s investment forum period.

Putin’s refusal of Zelenskyy’s offer for direct talks set the political context for the St Petersburg strikes, with ABC News saying the attack came a day after Putin refused the meeting.

In response to Putin’s dismissal, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that “Failures will get more humiliating,” warning that “no safe places in Russia that can be exempt” from Ukrainian long-range attacks.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

BBC described the forum’s opening and closing days as being overshadowed by Ukraine’s drone attacks on the St Petersburg area, and it quoted Putin’s stance at the plenary session.

BBC also reported Putin’s response to the letter, including the line: “It's not the author of the letter I need to respond to,” as the Kremlin leader criticized the proposal and dismissed the offer to meet.

Beyond the citywide air-defense claims, the sources tied the renewed St Petersburg campaign to fires and disruptions, including a drone attack in the town of Ust-Labinsk that caused a fire at an oil depot.

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BBC

ABC News said Russia’s Defense Ministry reported its air defenses shot down 376 Ukrainian drones, while it also described Zelenskyy’s claim that drones hit an oil depot in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

CNN said the strikes targeted naval facilities as well as oil depots and terminals around St Petersburg, and it quoted Aleksandr Drozdenko saying “A total of 141 UAVs have been shot down over the Leningrad Region,” calling it an “unprecedented attack.”

CNN added that efforts continued to extinguish a fire in a village called Bolshaya Izhora where more than 600 people had been evacuated, underscoring the immediate consequences described by the reporting.