Ukraine launched another wave of drone strikes deep inside Russia on Saturday, targeting areas near St. Petersburg for the second time this week as the city hosted the final day of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s flagship economic forum.The strikes followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s public appeal earlier this week for direct talks with Putin and a comprehensive ceasefire. Putin rejected the proposal during a keynote address on Friday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he mocked the Ukrainian leader while arguing that a summit between the two leaders would serve little purpose.“I do not yet see the point,” Putin said when asked if he would meet with Zelensky.
Ukraine said the latest strikes hit military and energy infrastructure hundreds of miles from the front lines. In a statement Saturday, Zelensky said Ukrainian drones traveled roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to strike Russian naval arsenals and a military base in Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg, while separate long-range attacks targeted an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
“Russia must end its war and stop its attacks on life,” Zelensky said, adding that “any manifestation of injustice against Ukraine will receive a just response.”
