Russian authorities say Ukraine launched an 'unprecedented attack' on St Petersburg on Saturday, with more than 140 drones shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region. The city's governor urged residents to remain indoors for the first time since the war began.
St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov advised residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service. Regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region. Russia's defence ministry claimed its air defences shot down 376 Ukrainian drones overnight.
“More than 140 Ukrainian drones were shot down over St Petersburg as residents told to stay indoors for first time”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media that his forces had hit 'the enemy navy's arsenals and a base in Kronstadt' about 1,000km away, and an oil depot in the Krasnodar region 500km away. 'It is time to end this war. But Russia's ruler wants to keep fighting,' he said.
The attack came a day after President Vladimir Putin refused Zelensky's request for face-to-face talks, reiterating that Russia would only end the war when its goals were met. Putin had just spoken at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The UK's chief of defence staff, Sir Richard Knighton, said Britain faces the highest level of threat from Russia since the Cold War, warning of 'longer conflicts' like in Ukraine through cyber attacks, assassination attempts and reckless sabotage.