Ukraine Drones Strike St Petersburg in Unprecedented Attack on Russia's Second-Largest City

Breaking — Europe

ST. PETERSBURG / KYIV — June 12, 2026 | 2:30 PM UTC

Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s second-largest city Thursday in an attack Moscow is calling “unprecedented” — the first time residents of St Petersburg have been ordered to shelter indoors since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that air defence systems intercepted multiple drones over St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad Oblast. No casualties were immediately reported, but the strikes disrupted a major international economic forum being hosted in the city and sent residents rushing to safety, according to Reuters and Russian state media.

The attack came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United Kingdom for its “ironclad” support following a meeting with King Charles III, and as Zelensky wrote a direct open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin calling for face-to-face peace talks — a proposal Putin rejected Friday, saying there was “no point” in meeting Zelensky.

Zelensky’s overture came as his closest European allies set out five conditions for any peace negotiations, and as the United States shifted its strategic focus toward the escalating war with Iran, leaving Ukraine increasingly dependent on European backing.

⚠ IMPACT: St Petersburg is home to Russia’s flagship economic forum — the same event where President Putin had been pitching Russia as a stable investment destination. Thursday’s attack underscored Kyiv’s ability to strike deep inside Russian territory, a capability that has grown sharply in recent months as Ukraine accelerates drone and missile campaigns against military and energy infrastructure.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones also struck a military plant deep inside Russia, an oil refinery, and a “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the Black Sea, according to Ukraine’s military. Separately, Ukraine confirmed it struck five ships carrying illegal cargo in the Sea of Azov and in coastal waters of Russian-occupied territories.

Meanwhile, Poland is threatening to strip Zelensky of a state honour over the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after controversial World War Two fighters — a diplomatic row that underscores the fragility of Kyiv’s most reliable Eastern European alliance even as the war enters its fifth year.

Russia’s fuel crisis is intensifying as Ukraine steps up strikes on occupied territories, making it increasingly difficult for Moscow to provide military and civilian supplies to territories it occupies, according to Western military analysts.

Kyiv is pressing European allies to accelerate weapons deliveries as part of a renewed spring offensive. Further updates will be published as they come in.

Anya Petrova

Anya Petrova covers European politics, security, and EU institutional dynamics from Brussels.