• Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on St Petersburg, targeting military facilities.
• Russia intercepted 376 Ukrainian drones, marking the attacks as unprecedented.
• Residents of St Petersburg were advised to stay indoors following the drone assaults.
• Casualties reported in Ukraine from Russian drone and artillery strikes.
• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy emphasized the need to end the ongoing conflict.

Ukraine has escalated its aerial campaign, targeting St Petersburg in a major drone strike that happened overnight, marking an unprecedented attack deep inside Russian territory. The attack coincided with the final day of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, prompting local authorities to advise residents to stay indoors. Russian officials reported that air defenses shot down approximately 376 drones across several regions, including St Petersburg and Crimea, amidst ongoing military exchanges between the two countries, according to SCMP, India Times, and BBC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that his forces targeted "the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt," highlighting the distance of drone flights covering around 1,000 kilometers to reach St Petersburg. Additionally, another drone targeted an oil depot approximately 500 kilometers away in Krasnodar. This strategic expansion of drone capabilities indicates Ukraine's growing ability to strike critical military targets within Russia, according to LA Times, and Al Jazeera.

The aftermath of the drone assault included minor injuries among the local population, with authorities in St Petersburg urging caution due to possible disruptions in mobile services. St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov characterized the scale of the attack as large-scale, echoing sentiments from military officials who noted that 141 drones were intercepted in the Leningrad region alone, which persisted as combat operations continued into the night, reports SCMP and LA Times.

Simultaneously, Russian artillery continued to exert pressure on Ukrainian regions, leading to further casualties in places like Dnipropetrovsk, where one person was killed and several others injured from drone and artillery attacks reported overnight. The combat situation suggests a deepening conflict with no immediate signs of resolution, especially after President Putin dismissed Zelenskyy’s proposal for a meeting, stating he saw “no point” in direct talks, according to Al Jazeera and India Times.