Russia on Saturday said it intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones across several regions, including areas near Saint Petersburg, as fighting between Moscow and Kyiv continued despite stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Russian authorities reported that air defence systems shot down a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles overnight, with attacks targeting multiple regions across the country.
The governor of the Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said 86 drones were intercepted over the region, which includes Saint Petersburg and several strategic Baltic ports.
“Eighty-six UAVs have been shot down over Leningrad region. Combat operations continue,” Drozdenko said.
The latest incident comes as Saint Petersburg hosts the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, a major business and investment gathering that concluded on Saturday after featuring an address by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier in the week, Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly targeted an oil facility and a military installation in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s hometown.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said a total of 376 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across multiple regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Rostov, Tula, Smolensk, and areas around Moscow. Drones were also reportedly downed over Crimea, Abkhazia, and the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported casualties from fresh Russian attacks.
In the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said the bodies of two men who had been missing following a Russian strike were recovered.
In the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region, governor Oleksandr Ganzha said one person was killed and three others injured in Russian drone and artillery attacks.
Russian authorities also reported a fire at an oil depot in the southern city of Ust-Labinsk following a drone strike. No casualties were reported.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin earlier announced that Russian air defences had intercepted nine drones headed toward the Russian capital.
The exchange of drone attacks marks a further escalation in the conflict, which is now in its fifth year. Efforts led by the United States to broker a settlement have made little progress, while broader geopolitical tensions continue to complicate negotiations between the two sides.
