Ukrainian forces carried out an unprecedented drone attack on the Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Krasnodar early Saturday, striking a naval base and an oil depot, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The offensive occurred on the final day of the International Economic Forum, which gathered representatives from over 130 countries. Russian authorities described the assault as without precedent, and St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov advised residents to remain indoors — a measure never taken since the start of Moscow's invasion. This attack marks a notable escalation in Kiev's strategy to target strategic infrastructure deep within Russian territory.
Russian Air Defenses Intercept Over 140 Drones Near St. Petersburg
The governor of the Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, reported that Russian air defenses shot down more than 140 drones in the St. Petersburg area. Moscow's Defense Ministry claimed a total of 376 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight, though it did not specify how many reached their intended targets. In contrast, Kyiv's Armed Forces stated they launched 272 drones against Russian objectives, with 249 downed but 11 impacts recorded at various locations. The stark discrepancy in figures highlights the difficulty each side faces in confirming the results of these strikes, which have become an increasingly common tactic for Ukraine to bring the war onto Russian soil.
Ukrainian Commander Describes 'Easy' Penetration of Russian Airspace
Yevhen Karas, commander of one of the Ukrainian units involved, told the BBC that the mission was executed with relative ease. "We fly over Russia as if it were our own territory. There is almost no resistance; hitting a target is not difficult," he said. His remarks suggest that Kyiv has successfully exploited weaknesses in Russia's air defense network, particularly in areas far from the front lines. President Zelensky elaborated that the drones traveled roughly 1,000 kilometers to strike the Kronstadt naval base — the main Baltic Fleet facility — and 500 kilometers to reach the fuel depot in Krasnodar. The Kronstadt base, according to CNN, had already been targeted by a drone attack on Wednesday, which damaged a warship, and Russian authorities temporarily halted traffic in the city for several hours after the latest offensive.
Fire and Evacuation After Strike on Weapons Depot
The attack ignited a blaze near a weapons depot close to the naval base, forcing the evacuation of a nearby village. According to CNN, approximately 600 people were affected by the withdrawal. Flames erupted at a site where military materials were stored, raising the risk of secondary explosions. Russian authorities have not yet fully brought the situation under control and have established a security perimeter around the area. This incident illustrates the direct impact Ukrainian strikes are having on Russian civilians, an element Kiev has used to pressure Moscow into negotiating an end to the conflict.
Kiev Intensifies Long-Range Campaign Amid Stalled Diplomacy
Ukraine has ramped up its assaults on Russian oil infrastructure in recent months, employing increasingly effective long-range drones, as assessed by CNN. The Wall Street Journal notes that Kyiv has recently managed to reverse the war's dynamics on several fronts, halting Russian advances and inflicting significant damage on Moscow's military production and oil industry. On the diplomatic front, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated the day before the attack that he saw no reason to meet with Zelensky, following the Ukrainian leader's publication of an open letter proposing talks to end the war. Putin insisted the conflict would only conclude when Russia's objectives are met. In response, Zelensky adopted a defiant tone, writing that "the Russians are finally becoming less comfortable with this reality — with the fact that the war is bringing increasingly negative consequences for Russia." He framed the attacks as a "fair" retaliation for Russian bombings of Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, accusing Putin of wanting to "continue the war" and rejecting any peace proposal that does not involve Ukraine's surrender. Meanwhile, long-range military operations remain Kiev's primary tool to demonstrate that the war cannot be confined to Ukrainian territory. The scale of the assault on St. Petersburg — considered the most significant against that region since the conflict began — signals an escalation that could have implications both on the battlefield and in future negotiations. Ukraine's ability to hit targets hundreds of kilometers away pressures the Kremlin to bolster protection of critical infrastructure, while the international community watches developments closely.