Several individuals have been wounded in Ukrainian military drone strikes on St. Petersburg, Russia, on the opening day of the city’s 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), local governor Aleksandr Beglov stated.
The attacks targeted infrastructure in the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts, as well as the Kronstadt port area. Russian officials reported that over 345 Ukrainian drones were shot down across multiple regions of Russia overnight, including Moscow, Leningrad Oblast, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar, as well as over Crimea and the Sea of Azov.
In Leningrad Region, local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that at least 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, causing minor damage to private homes with no injuries. In the Donetsk People’s Republic, seven civilians were killed and 11 others wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger bus traveling from Crimea to Moscow. Ukraine’s military actions have been condemned by Russian authorities as an unacceptable escalation of violence.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu warned that if the Baltic States and Finland “deliberately provide their airspace” for Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The pattern of Ukrainian military operations targeting Russian infrastructure has been ongoing in recent months, with explosive-laden drones often reaching northwestern Russia via Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Finland.
