Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Kronstadt naval base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet and a fuel depot in southern Russia on June 6, the final day of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and the second major drone strike on the city during the forum.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF), the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed drones flew approximately 620 miles to reach Kronstadt, the Baltic Fleet’s primary repair and logistics hub on Kotlin Island, housing warships, ammunition arsenals, and a naval academy.
Leningrad Region Gov. Aleksandr Drozdenko called the “unprecedented” attack a major test for local defenses, with official Russian reports ultimately stating that 144 drones were shot down over the region. St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov told city residents to remain indoors for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Four local residents sustained minor injuries across the region. Meanwhile, intense fires broke out at a naval ammunition arsenal near the village of Bolshaya Izhora, forcing Drozdenko to order the evacuation of more than 600 residents.
❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian operators from the Unmanned Systems Forces, together with the SBU, struck the Baltic Fleet’s Kronstadt basing point, an ammunition arsenal in Bolshaya Izhora, the Peterhofskaya oil depot, and the Neste oil terminal in Lomonosov, all located in Leningrad Oblast of… pic.twitter.com/fzHiWTUYGk
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 6, 2026
The SBU said the Krasnodar strike ignited at least three fuel storage tanks, describing the site as a rear-area supply hub for Russian forces in the south. Russian authorities and geolocated footage later confirmed the massive oil fire.
The strikes came one day after Putin, speaking at SPIEF, rejected Zelenskyy’s open letter proposing direct ceasefire negotiations. Putin called the letter “boorish” and said he saw “no point” in a meeting, reiterating that Moscow would continue fighting until its war goals were met.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded on X Saturday. “Failures will get more humiliating,” Sybiha wrote, adding there were “no safe places in Russia” exempt from Ukrainian long-range sanctions.
Yevhen Karas, commander of the 413th Regiment Raid of the USF, told the BBC that Ukrainian drones encounter little resistance over Russian territory. “We fly in Russia like it’s our own territory. Almost no resistance, not hard to reach a target,” Karas said.
