Russia said on Saturday it intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones including near St Petersburg, where Moscow is hosting a major economic forum, as Ukraine reported at least three people killed by Russian strikes.
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified drone strikes on each other in recent months as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fifth year, remain stalled over the conflict in the Middle East.
The St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) – once dubbed “Russia’s Davos” – ends on Saturday, a day after the event featured a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Eighty-six UAVs have been shot down over Leningrad region. Combat operations continue,” said Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of the region whose major city is St Petersburg and which also includes key Baltic ports.
On the first day of the summit, Ukrainian drones hit an oil complex and military base in St Petersburg, which is also Putin’s home city.
Overnight, Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence downed a total of 376 Ukrainian drones “over Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula regions, Moscow region, Crimea Republic, Abkhazia Republic, and over the waters of the Azov and Black Sea”.
