Russia Shoots Down 376 Ukrainian Drones Overnight
Russia has reported that its air defences intercepted hundreds of drones deployed by Ukraine in a series of attacks targeting various regions of the country. One of Kyiv’s drone strikes hit an area near Saint Petersburg, which recently hosted a major economic forum organised by Moscow.
Russia and Ukraine have significantly increased mutual drone attacks in recent months, as US-mediated diplomatic efforts to end the conflict—which has raged for nearly five years—have stalled due to tensions in the Middle East. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), often referred to as ‘Russia’s Davos’, concluded on Saturday (6/6) local time, one day after President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at the event.
The Governor of Leningrad, Aleksandr Drozdenko, announced that his region was hit by dozens of drone strikes on Saturday. Leningrad, which includes Saint Petersburg as its main city, serves as a vital location for major Baltic ports. “A total of 86 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) were shot down in the Leningrad region. Combat operations are ongoing,” Drozdenko stated.
On Wednesday (3/6), the first day of SPIEF, Ukrainian drones targeted oil complexes and military bases in Saint Petersburg, which is also Vladimir Putin’s birthplace. In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its air defences intercepted a total of 376 Ukrainian drones across various territories overnight. These locations included Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Abkhazia, and over the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
According to a statement released by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian forces also intercepted nine Ukrainian drones detected heading towards the capital, Moscow, on Saturday. Meanwhile, in the southern Russian town of Ust-Labinsk, local authorities reported a fire at an oil depot following a drone strike, though no casualties were reported from the incident.