Ukraine launched a massive drone assault on Russia early on Saturday, firing hundreds of drones that left one person dead and ignited an oil depot fire on the final day of Russia's flagship economic forum in St Petersburg, according to officials. Many of the drones targeted St Petersburg itself, marking the second Ukrainian attack on the city in less than a week. Ukraine's SBU security services confirmed they had hit a naval base in the region.
Putin Rejects Zelenskyy Meeting
The strikes occurred a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's proposal for a meeting. Zelenskyy criticized Putin, accusing him of "choosing war again." The Ukrainian leader described the drone strikes as a "just response" to Russian aggression, stating on X: "It is time to end this war. But Russia's ruler wants to keep fighting. That is why Ukrainian sanctions against this aggression are working. Any manifestation of injustice against Ukraine will receive a just response."
Details of the Drone Attack
More than 140 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, according to Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko. St Petersburg's Governor Alexander Beglov issued a rare call for residents to stay indoors during the attack, noting that Russian air defenses prevented any damage and that three injured individuals had been discharged with minor injuries. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that a total of 376 drones were intercepted over multiple regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula, as well as the Moscow region, Crimea Republic, Abkhazia Republic, and the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
Ukraine's SBU stated it had targeted St Petersburg's Kronstadt naval base and the Russian Navy's 15th Arsenal in the Leningrad region. The attacks also sparked a fire at an oil depot in the southern town of Ust-Labinsk, while drone debris killed a man in the western Tver region, according to local officials.
Russian Retaliation
Russia renewed its strikes on Ukraine early on Saturday. A Russian drone killed a 64-year-old man in the southern Mykolaiv region, while a strike on the nearby Zaporizhzhia region wounded a 10-year-old boy and his father, regional authorities reported. In Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone and artillery attacks killed one person and left three others wounded, according to Governor Oleksandr Ganzha. Additionally, Russian forces attacked two civilian search and rescue vessels in Ukrainian waters, causing injuries, said Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. He wrote on Telegram: "The enemy launched strikes on two boats of the maritime search and rescue service which were carrying out a humanitarian mission within the Ukrainian sea corridor. Unfortunately, there are injured. Evacuation by boats of the Ukrainian navy is currently under way."
International Response
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for talks in Downing Street on Sunday to discuss support for Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader's visit to the UK, accompanied by the French president and German chancellor, comes after a week of heightened hostilities and Putin's rejection of his proposal for face-to-face talks. The three countries are among Kyiv's staunchest allies, with the UK and France leading the "coalition of the willing" initiative to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace process.
