Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy’s offer for direct talks

Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy’s offer for direct talks 1 of 3 | A plume of black smoke is seen over the port of St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after a Ukrainian drone attack. (AP Photo) 2 of 3 | Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) 3 of 3 | In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, a soldier reacts as an MRLS BM-21 “Grad” fires at the Russian positions near Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP) By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Updated 11:22 AM MESZ, June 6, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Residents of St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, were told not to leave their homes after a “large-scale” Ukrainian drone attack targeted the city Saturday morning, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia, a day after the Russian president refused an offer to meet his Ukrainian counterpart. St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov advised the residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service, while Regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 376 Ukrainian drones. “Last night, our drones covered a distance of about 1,000 kilometers to the St. Petersburg region – to the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote of the attack on X. Although no casualties were immediately reported, the renewed attack on St. Petersburg is the latest embarrassing blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cast the conflict as a distant event that doesn’t affect Russian daily life. Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal before city hosts Russian economic forum Zelenskyy asks Trump for more US air defense help against Russian missile attacks, Kyiv says Russia unleashes another aerial barrage on Ukraine as the war’s long-range strikes escalate A Ukrainian drone strike set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and hit a nearby naval base Wednesday, hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin’s annual showcase for investment. Speaking at the forum, Putin said Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over the event in his hometown of St. Petersburg. Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the four-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it. Thursday’s letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power, as well as some taunts about his age. With the front line barely moving as swarms of drones hinder advances, both sides have sought an edge by launching long-range strikes. In Ukraine, one person was killed and three wounded overnight into Saturday in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as Russian forces struck three districts nearly 30 times with drones and artillery, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said. In Zaporizhzhia, seven people sought medical care after a Russian drone strike started a fire at a parking lot, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov. Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with 272 strike drones, and air defenses shot down 249 of them, the Ukrainian air force said Saturday.