Russia Says It Shot Down Dozens of Drones Near St. Petersburg During Economic Forum

Overview

• Russian regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said forces intercepted 25 drones near St. Petersburg in the early hours of Saturday, June 6, and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported eight more drones were shot down while heading toward Moscow.
• The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum continued under reinforced security with temporary limits at Pulkovo airport and visible black smoke from earlier strikes that hit a petroleum depot and a nearby military site.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense publicly attributed the offensive to Ukraine, while independent verification of responsibility is limited in the immediate reporting.
• Officials have described the incidents as part of a recent rise in long‑range Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy and military infrastructure, following Russian claims that about 50 drones were downed in the Leningrad region earlier in the week.
• The strikes have practical effects on people and diplomacy: they disrupted travel for delegates, caused at least one fatality and fires in other Russian regions, and could prompt tighter security, travel limits, and heightened political tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.