Ukraine targets – Ukraine hit St. Petersburg with a large-scale drone attack Saturday morning after President Vladimir Putin rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct, face-to-face talks. Russian officials reported extensive drone interceptions, while Ukraine said its
Saturday morning started with a warning delivered straight to doorsteps in St. Petersburg: residents were told not to leave their homes after what local officials described as a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack.
St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov urged people to stay inside and warned that mobile internet service could face disruptions. Regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 376 Ukrainian drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strike was a long-range effort. Writing on X, he said, “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.”
No casualties were immediately reported in St. Petersburg, but the attack struck close enough to keep the city’s fear in the open. A Ukrainian drone strike set an oil terminal on fire in the city and hit a nearby naval base Wednesday. just hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum—an annual investment showcase Putin relies on. in part. to project that the war remains distant from Russian daily life. Speaking at the forum on Thursday. Putin said Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks that have reached deep inside his country.
The timing also fed the sharp contrast playing out between battlefield momentum and diplomacy. Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the four-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it.
Thursday’s letter—described as the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022—went far beyond a single proposal. It was a sweeping critique of Putin’s 26 years in power and also included taunts about his age.
As drones and long-range strikes push across distances both sides treat as strategic. the attacks continue to test how much either leader can control the narrative. In Ukraine, that pressure did not pause beyond Russia’s borders. Overnight into Saturday. one person was killed and three wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region after Russian forces struck three districts nearly 30 times with drones and artillery. according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. In Zaporizhzhia. seven people sought medical care after a Russian drone strike started a fire at a parking lot. according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.
Russia also continued striking Ukraine overnight. The Ukrainian air force said Saturday that Russia targeted Ukraine with 272 strike drones, and air defenses shot down 249 of them.
Ukraine Russia St. Petersburg Zelenskyy Putin drones Kronstadt air defenses international economic forum Leningrad region