St. Petersburg has been struck by a major drone assault on the closing day of the International Economic Forum, regional authorities confirmed.
Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that over 140 drones were intercepted in the early hours of Saturday morning on social media. No casualties or significant infrastructure damage was immediately reported, though an air alert prompted residents to remain indoors and suspended operations at Pulkovo Airport, delaying dozens of flights and diverting aircraft to other airports.
The attack follows another drone strike targeting the region on June 3—the opening day of SPIEF—which drew participants from more than 130 countries.
This incident occurs days after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky published an open letter urging his supporters to allow drones to “pay a visit” to the forum. In that letter, Zelenskiy also called for direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a conflict settlement.
Putin described Zelenskiy’s message as “inappropriate and insolent,” stating it has rendered meaningful negotiations impossible while reiterating Russia’s openness to dialogue on addressing the root causes of the conflict. He additionally highlighted concerns about Zelenskiy’s legitimacy following his presidential term expiration in May 2024 without a new election being held.
