Russian authorities report massive drone attack on St. Petersburg

Russian authorities have reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack on the St. Petersburg region. The governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, wrote on the Telegram online service that 126 drones had been shot down. Debris fell on homes, cars and power lines, causing power outages. “A large-scale attack using UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) continues to be repelled,” Drozdenko wrote.

The city's governor, Alexander Beglov, said the Ukrainian attack triggered a fire at the St. Petersburg oil depot, which was hit in June. “The air defense systems are in use,” Beglow wrote on Telegram. “For security reasons,” operations at St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport were restricted.

A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that the cessation of bilateral attacks on energy infrastructure announced by US President Donald Trump had been “lifted” for him. The attacks would resume.

Trump suspends planned sanctions against Russia

Two days before they came into force, Trump issued a decree putting sanctions against Russia on hold. He justified his actions on Friday (local time) with the “national interest of the United States”. While Zelensky accused the US of “rewarding” Putin and “encouraging” him to carry out further attacks, the Kremlin described the incident as a “historic moment”.