Ukraine launched one of its most significant long-range drone attacks in recent weeks, targeting Russian naval facilities, oil infrastructure and military assets near St. Petersburg as Russia wrapped up its flagship international economic forum.
The strikes reached deep into Russian territory, hitting areas around Kronstadt, the strategic naval hub that serves as a key base for Russia’s Baltic Fleet and one of the country’s most important military installations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation demonstrated Kyiv’s growing ability to strike targets far from the battlefield.
According to Zelensky, Ukrainian drones travelled nearly 1,000 kilometres to reach military facilities in the St. Petersburg region, including naval arsenals and support bases linked to Russia’s navy.
The attacks came as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, often described as President Vladimir Putin’s answer to the World Economic Forum in Davos, entered its final day.
Russian authorities confirmed a large-scale drone assault on the region, with officials reporting that more than 140 drones were intercepted over the Leningrad area.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said several people were injured and urged residents to remain indoors as authorities responded to the attacks. Mobile internet services were also disrupted in parts of the region.
In Kronstadt, authorities temporarily restricted traffic while emergency crews responded to reported damage and fires.
Videos circulating online showed thick plumes of smoke rising from locations believed to be linked to Russian military infrastructure.
Ukraine also claimed responsibility for strikes on an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region, describing the facility as an important logistics hub supplying fuel to Russian forces operating on the front lines.
Kyiv said several fuel storage tanks were engulfed in flames following the attack.
Russian emergency services confirmed a fire at the facility but did not immediately comment on the extent of the damage.
The latest strikes underline Ukraine’s increasingly aggressive strategy of targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure far beyond the front lines.
Over the past year, Kyiv has expanded its use of long-range drones to hit refineries, oil depots, ammunition storage facilities and military bases, seeking to disrupt Russia’s war machine and increase economic pressure on Moscow.
The attacks also come amid renewed diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Just days earlier, Zelensky publicly urged Putin to enter direct talks aimed at ending the more than four-year conflict. The Kremlin dismissed the proposal, with Russian officials questioning Kyiv’s intentions and rejecting the idea of a meeting on Ukrainian terms.
While fighting continues across the front line, the growing reach of Ukrainian drone operations suggests that no part of Russia’s strategic infrastructure can be considered completely beyond range.
As both sides continue to exchange hundreds of drone strikes almost nightly, the conflict is increasingly becoming a war not only of armies but of technology, logistics and economic endurance.
