St. Petersburg Drone Assault
Ukraine Launches Second Large-Scale Drone Attack on St. Petersburg, Striking Naval and Oil Sites
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Key Points
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Russian officials said the drone attack disrupted operations at Russia’s second-largest commercial airport for several hours, in addition to setting an oil depot and a defence ministry facility on fire.
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A fire at a Russian defence ministry site in the Lomonosovsky district prompted a partial evacuation of nearby residents, while Kronstadt’s administration said the naval base was briefly closed to traffic.
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Volodymyr Zelensky said the drones travelled “about 1,000 kilometres” to reach the St. Petersburg region, targeting the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt.
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Moscow claimed it intercepted 376 Ukrainian drones in total, including over a wide swath of western Russia (covering regions such as Leningrad, Pskov and Tula) and “over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.”
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Putin used the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to warn that Russia would strengthen its air defences to counter Ukrainian drone attacks that have reached deep inside Russia.
Ukraine struck Russia's St. Petersburg region with a massive drone barrage overnight, hitting naval arsenals near Kronstadt, igniting an oil depot, and briefly shutting down the country's second-largest commercial airport. The New York Times reported that the attack landed just hours after President Vladimir Putin addressed a major economic forum in the city, turning his showcase event into a backdrop for one of the war's deepest strikes yet.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 376 Ukrainian drones in total — across the Leningrad, Pskov, and Tula regions and over the Black and Azov Seas. Still, fires broke out at a Defense Ministry facility in the Lomonosovsky district and at a southern St. Petersburg oil depot. One civilian was killed and three were injured, according to The Annapurna Express.
Drones Travel 1,000 km to Hit Kronstadt Naval Base
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strike in a press briefing in Kyiv. "Our 'birds' traveled 1,000 kilometers tonight to remind the aggressor that no corner of their territory is a safe haven for their war machine," he said. "This is a just response to the daily terror against our cities." Ukrainian adviser Mykhailo Podolyak added that "every arsenal in Kronstadt is a legitimate target that fuels the occupation," according to Reuters.
Kronstadt is the headquarters of Russia's Baltic Fleet. Targeting its arsenals is a direct challenge to Russia's naval power in the Baltic Sea. Maritime access to the base was officially closed for a period overnight. Russian air defenses shot down over 144 drones over the Leningrad region alone, Head Topics reported, but enough got through to cause fires and force evacuations nearby.
Pulkovo Airport Shut Down, Oil Depot Set Ablaze
Russia enacted its "Kover" — or Carpet — emergency protocol at Pulkovo Airport at around 1:45 a.m. local time, suspending all flights for roughly four hours and diverting more than a dozen aircraft. Pulkovo is Russia's second-busiest commercial airport. The disruption hit cargo logistics and passenger travel at one of the country's most important transit hubs.
A large fire broke out at an oil depot in St. Petersburg's southern industrial zone shortly after 2:30 a.m. Separately, a blaze at a Defense Ministry site in the Lomonosovsky district triggered a partial evacuation of nearby residents. Local outlet Fontanka reported that the scale of the defense facility fire contradicted early "minor damage" claims from Moscow, with local Telegram channels showing widespread panic during the evacuation.
Putin Vows Stronger Air Defenses as Forum Ends
Putin was still at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — Russia's flagship investment showcase — when the drones struck. At the closing session, he called the attack a "desperate attempt to overshadow Russia's economic progress." He then vowed to "modernize and densify" the air defense umbrella over Russia's "northern capital," according to The New York Times.
Military analysts say the sheer volume of drones — 376 — was designed to overwhelm Russia's S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems. This tactic, known as saturation, forces defenses to spread thin, letting a small number of drones slip through to high-value targets. Putin's vow to reinforce northern defenses signals that even record interception numbers are not stopping real damage deep inside Russia.
Strikes Follow Putin's Rejection of Zelensky Peace Offer
The attack came days after Zelensky proposed a direct, face-to-face summit with Putin to discuss a "just peace." Putin formally rejected the offer on June 5, saying negotiations were impossible while Russia's security was "actively threatened." With diplomacy stalled, Ukraine appears to be using long-range strikes to maintain pressure and show that Russian cities far from the front are not safe, Newsy Today reported.
This was the second large-scale drone attack on the St. Petersburg region within a single week. Western diplomats view the timing — hitting during SPIEF, right after a rejected peace proposal — as deliberate. Ukraine is signaling it will not accept a frozen conflict on Russia's terms. Russian strikes on Ukraine also continued, with civilian deaths and injuries reported across multiple Ukrainian regions over the same period.
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