SAINT PETERSBURG: Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia early Wednesday, targeting energy and military facilities in and around Saint Petersburg as the city prepared to host the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to AFP.
St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov told the media that several infrastructure facilities were damaged in overnight strikes across three districts of the city.
While no fatalities were reported, several people were injured.
According to CNN, Russian authorities said air defense systems intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones across the country, including around 60 over the Leningrad region.
In western Russia’s Smolensk region, Governor Vasiliy Anokhin said Ukrainian drones struck critical infrastructure facilities. Two firefighters were killed while responding to a blaze caused by falling drone debris, while two other firefighters and a civilian suffered minor injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation targeted key military and energy assets, including the St. Petersburg oil terminal and military facilities at the Kronstadt naval base. He also claimed a weapons-production site in the Tambov region was hit.
The attacks coincided with the opening of SPIEF, Russia’s flagship economic gathering often compared to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Flight operations at St. Petersburg’s airport were briefly disrupted due to airspace restrictions.
The escalation follows a deadly Russian missile and drone assault on Ukraine that killed at least 23 people earlier this week.
