Ukraine launches major drone attack on St. Petersburg region during final day of Putin's economic forum

Jun 6, 2026

Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Russia's St. Petersburg region, striking a naval base and arsenals 1,000 km from its border. The attack, which also hit a key oil depot in Krasnodar, occurred on the final day of Vladimir Putin's annual economic forum, undermining the event's purpose. It followed Putin's recent rejection of a peace meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, demonstrating Kyiv's growing long-range strike capability.

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia

▪Ukrainian drones traveled approximately 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) to strike targets in the St. Petersburg region
▪Ukraine launched extensive drone attacks against Russian military facilities and refineries on Saturday, June 6, 2026, including in the St. Petersburg region
▪Three people were injured in the St. Petersburg attack, according to the city's governor, Aleksandr Beglov
▪St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov advised residents to stay at home and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service

St. Petersburg Economic Forum timing

▪The attack occurred on the final day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), an annual investment event hosted by Vladimir Putin
▪A separate Ukrainian drone strike hit an oil terminal and naval base in St. Petersburg on June 3, 2026, hours before the economic forum began

Russian air defense response

▪Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down a total of 376 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions
▪The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said 141 drones were shot down over the area surrounding St. Petersburg

Military arsenal targeting

▪Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported a fire and secondary detonations at the Russian Navy's 15th Arsenal in Leningrad Oblast
▪Kronstadt serves as the main base, repair, and supply hub for Russia’s Baltic fleet and was closed to traffic for several hours after the attack
▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drones targeted Russian naval arsenals and a base in Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg

Oil infrastructure strikes

▪Ukrainian drones also struck an oil depot in Ust-Labinsk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, approximately 500 kilometers from Ukraine
▪The Krasnodar oil depot is described as a key logistics hub for supplying fuel to Russian forces on the southern and eastern fronts

Peace negotiation breakdown

▪The attack occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting
▪Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that "things would only get worse for Russia" and that the intensity of attacks would continue to grow
▪On June 5, 2026, Vladimir Putin dismissed the meeting proposal, saying he saw "no point" in it and calling Zelensky's open letter "rude."