
Ukraine has launched one of the largest drone attacks on Russian territory since the start of the war, hitting areas around St. Petersburg.
Russian authorities have described the operation as an "unprecedented" attack, as the city awaits the final day of the Russian International Economic Forum.
The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, stated that Russian air defense shot down more than 140 Ukrainian drones.
Meanwhile, the governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, urged citizens to stay indoors, an unusual measure that had not been taken before during the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attacks and said the targets included Russian military arsenals and a naval base in Kronstadt, the main hub of the Russian Baltic Fleet.
According to him, the Ukrainian drones traveled about 1,000 kilometers to reach the targets.
Zelensky also posted images on social media showing explosions and columns of smoke, describing the operation as a response to continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Russian authorities reported that the attacks caused a fire at a military facility in the Leningrad region and limited material damage to several buildings.
Residents of the affected areas were evacuated for safety reasons.
According to Kiev, another target was an oil depot in the southern Krasnodar region, about 500 kilometers from the front, part of the Ukrainian strategy to strike the infrastructure that supports the Russian military machine.
The new escalation comes just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly rejected Zelensky's proposal for a direct meeting on ending the war.
During the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin stated that a ceasefire would give Ukraine time to regroup and reiterated that Russia will continue the war until it achieves its strategic objectives.
Meanwhile, in the occupied Luhansk region, authorities installed by Moscow have suspended bus and train traffic on several main routes, following continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian military supply lines and logistics.
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which began with the Russian invasion in 2022, continues to be accompanied by increasingly deep attacks on the territory of both countries, while diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire remain blocked.