Ukraine has launched a drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s home city – a day after the Russian leader refused an offer to meet Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks.
People living in St Petersburg were told to barricade themselves inside during the large-scale aerial assault.
Although no casualties were reported, the renewed attack on Russia’s second-largest city is the latest embarrassing blow to Putin’s efforts to distance the war from Russian daily life.
Zelensky underscored Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia, writing on X: ‘It is time to end this war. But Russia’s ruler wants to keep fighting.
‘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.
‘Russia must end its war and stop its attacks on life. Any manifestation of injustice against Ukraine will receive a just response. I thank our warriors for their precision.’
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum – an event dubbed ‘Russia’s Davos’ – Putin said he saw ‘no point’ in meeting the Ukrainian leader (Picture: Reuters)
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified drone strikes on each other in recent months as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fifth year, remain stalled over the conflict in the Middle East.
Ukraine fired hundreds of drones at Russia early Saturday, leaving one person dead and setting an oil depot ablaze on the final day of the country’s flagship economic forum in St Petersburg.
The strikes come a day after Putin rejected Zelensky’s proposal for a meeting.
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