Ukrainian drones targeted St. Petersburg on Sunday, forcing the city’s Pulkovo airport to close for five hours. This incident occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Russia’s Navy Day in the city. Despite the usual large-scale, televised navy parade, this year’s event was cancelled due to security concerns.
Putin arrived at the city’s historic naval headquarters by patrol speed boat, where he followed drills involving over 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. “Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet,” Putin said in a video address.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that air defence units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on Sunday. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, stated that over ten drones were downed over the area, and falling debris injured a woman. “At 0840 GMT on Sunday, Drozdenko said that the attack was repelled.”
St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport was closed during the attack, resulting in 57 delayed flights and 22 diverted to other airports. Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of an official group of reporters travelling with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said Peskov had told him their flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg had been delayed by the drone attack for 2 hours on Sunday.
The cancellation of the naval parade was confirmed by Peskov, citing security reasons. This decision follows reports of a suspected Ukrainian plan to attack the city’s parade last year. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, with both countries engaging in military actions and counter-measures.
The use of drones in modern warfare has become increasingly prominent, with Ukraine actively developing and utilizing drones in their military operations since 2014. The targeting of St. Petersburg serves as a show of strength and a message to Russia that Ukraine is not afraid to retaliate against their aggression.
The international community continues to monitor the situation, with concerns about the potential escalation of the conflict. As drone technology advances, establishing regulations and guidelines to prevent misuse becomes increasingly crucial. The incident in St. Petersburg raises questions about the use of drones in warfare and the need for international cooperation to address these concerns.