Ukraine Drones Hit St. Petersburg, Escalating Russia Risk

Petersburg, injuring three and targeting naval arsenals, a base in Kronstadt, and an oil depot in Krasnodar, with Governor Drozdenko reporting 141 drones shot down over the Leningrad region and Russia's Defense Ministry claiming 376. This attack follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking another significant blow to Putin's efforts to portray the conflict as distant from daily Russian life.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated drones covered 1,000 kilometers to reach targets, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned of escalating attacks and "no safe places" in Russia. Putin, speaking at the St.

Petersburg International Economic Forum, affirmed Russia will strengthen air defenses. Concurrently, Russia conducted its own long-range strikes, hitting Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one and injuring three, and Zaporizhzhia, where seven sought medical care after a drone strike.

The Ukrainian air force reported shooting down 249 of 272 Russian strike drones.