Several people have been wounded in Ukrainian drone attacks on St. Petersburg on the opening day of Russia’s largest investment forum, local governor Aleksandr Beglov said.
The drones targeted infrastructure in the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts as well as the port of Kronstadt, which is part of St. Petersburg, Beglov reported on Wednesday morning via Telegram. Response teams have been deployed to facilities damaged by the attacks, he added.
The 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), often referred to as the “Russian Davos,” runs June 3–6 in the city. This year’s event will attract approximately 20,000 businesspeople, politicians, and public figures from over 100 nations, with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to address attendees on Friday.
In the Leningrad Region surrounding St. Petersburg, at least 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko stated. He noted that several private homes suffered minor damage from falling debris but no injuries occurred.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported a total of 345 Ukrainian UAVs shot down across the country during an overnight assault. The interceptions covered Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar regions, as well as Crimea and the Sea of Azov.
In Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, seven civilians were killed and 11 others wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger bus traveling from Crimea to Moscow. Ukrainian UAVs have repeatedly targeted energy facilities in the Leningrad Region, with explosive-laden drones often reaching northwestern Russia via Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland—some crashing inside NATO countries.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu previously warned that if the Baltic States and Finland “deliberately provide their airspace” to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow reserves the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to an “armed attack.”