Russia said Saturday it intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones including near St. Petersburg, where Moscow is hosting a major economic forum, as Ukraine reported at least three people killed by Russian strikes.
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified drone strikes on each other in recent months as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the more-than-four-year war remain stalled.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — once dubbed "Russia's Davos" — ends on Saturday, a day after the event featured a speech by President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian drones hit an oil complex and military base in St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown, on the first day of SPIEF on Wednesday.
"Eighty-six UAVs have been shot down over the Leningrad region. Combat operations continue," said Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the region that surrounds St. Petersburg and which is home to key Baltic ports.
Overnight, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed a total of 376 Ukrainian drones "over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula regions, the Moscow region, the republic of Crimea, the republic of Abkhazia, and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas."
