Ukraine launches 'large-scale' drone strike on St Petersburg

‌Ukraine has launched a "large-scale" drone attack on St Petersburg, showing Kyiv's ability to hit deep inside Russian territory.

Residents in Russia's second-biggest city were told to stay in their homes after the strike on Saturday.

Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones had been shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region, and Russia's defence ministry said its air defences shot down 376 Ukrainian drones.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Vladimir Putin for wanting to "keep fighting" after the Russian president rejected his proposal for a face-to-face meeting on Friday.

"It is time to end this war. But Russia's ruler wants to keep fighting," Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

He added: "Last night, our drones covered a distance of about 1,000km (621 miles) to the St Petersburg region - to the enemy navy's arsenals and a base in Kronstadt.

"Our long-range sanctions (strikes) also reached about 500km (310 miles) into the Krasnodar region - and hit an oil depot."

The strikes signify another blow to Mr Putin's efforts to cast the war as a distant conflict that has little impact on daily life.

It followed another Ukrainian drone strike on an oil terminal and naval base near the city on Wednesday, just hours before the St Petersburg International Economic Forum opened.

With the frontline barely moving, both sides have sought to make gains by launching long-range strikes.

A fire broke out at Russia's largest oil-processing plant, the Antipinsky ​oil refinery, ‌in the Tyumen ​region, local authorities said via⁠ Telegram on Saturday.

Authorities said the blaze ‌was caused by "process violations" at one ‌of the purification units, refuting reports that a ⁠Ukrainian drone ​attack was the cause.

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Meanwhile, ‌Russia's defence ​ministry said on ​Saturday ‌it ​had captured the ​settlement ⁠of ⁠Shevchenko in Ukraine's Kharkiv ‌region, according to ‌state news agency RIA Novosti.

These reports could not be immediately ​verified.

In Ukraine, one person was killed and three wounded overnight on Saturday in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as Russian forces struck three districts close to 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 car park, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Russia targeted Ukraine overnight with 272 strike drones, and air defences shot down 249 of them, the Ukrainian air force said on Saturday.

Mr Zelenskyy will meet Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Sunday to discuss the war, France's Elysee Palace said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ukraine launches 'large-scale' drone strike on St Petersburg