Ukraine Drone Attack Hits St Petersburg After Putin Rejects Zelenskyy Talks Offer

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated sharply on Saturday after a large-scale drone attack targeted St Petersburg, just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct talks.

Residents of St Petersburg , Russia’s second-largest city, were urged to stay indoors as regional authorities reported a widespread Ukrainian drone assault in the early hours. Governor Alexander Beglov advised people not to step outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet services amid the security response.

Regional officials said the attack triggered a major air defence operation. Governor Alexander Drozdenko stated that 141 drones were intercepted over the Leningrad region, while Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that a total of 376 Ukrainian drones were shot down across different areas.

Although no immediate casualties were reported, the strike marked another significant breach of Russian airspace and added to growing concerns over Ukraine’s ability to conduct deep strikes inside Russian territory .

The attack came shortly after renewed diplomatic friction between the two sides. On Friday, Vladimir Putin , speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum , dismissed Zelenskyy’s proposal for a face-to-face meeting, saying there was “no point” in such talks under current conditions.

The latest drone offensive follows earlier strikes in the region, including one that set fire to an oil terminal and hit a naval base in St Petersburg during the same forum week, intensifying scrutiny of Russia’s internal security.

Officials on both sides have increasingly relied on long-range attacks as the front lines in the war remain largely static. Ukraine continues to target infrastructure deep inside Russia, while Russian forces carry out regular drone and artillery strikes across Ukrainian regions.

In Ukraine, regional authorities reported casualties and damage in multiple areas following Russian strikes overnight, including in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian officials said Russian drone and artillery attacks caused injuries and fires in residential and public areas.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 272 strike drones overnight , of which 249 were intercepted , underscoring the scale of reciprocal aerial warfare.

The latest exchange of attacks highlights the intensifying nature of the conflict, which has expanded into sustained long-range drone warfare , even as diplomatic prospects remain stalled following Putin’s rejection of Zelenskyy’s call for direct engagement.