St. Petersburg faced a significant drone attack on Saturday, as confirmed by Governor Alexander Beglov. The governor advised residents to stay indoors and not venture outside as air defense systems were activated. Reports indicated that powerful sonic impacts were heard in the city and surrounding areas, resembling explosions.
The Leningrad region governor disclosed that 86 unmanned aerial vehicles had been downed by Saturday morning. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure reported following the attack. This incident marked the second major drone assault on St. Petersburg and its neighboring regions during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Amidst these events, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to meet and discuss ending the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin was not accepted. Putin expressed his reluctance for a face-to-face meeting, stating the need for specialists to work on solutions before any potential dialogue. He emphasized the necessity of a peace agreement before considering a meeting with Zelensky.
Putin mentioned that he briefly reviewed Zelensky’s letter, which he found to contain elements of rudeness. He questioned whether the letter aimed to facilitate negotiations or create obstacles for a potential meeting. The Russian President reiterated his commitment to achieving set objectives before the conflict in Ukraine concludes.
