On June 6, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 376 Ukrainian drones over 16 regions, including St. Petersburg, Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. The incident occurred as the three-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) concluded.
Leningrad Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko confirmed 86 drones were downed and said "combat operations continue." Residents of St. Petersburg were urged to stay indoors after the large-scale attack on Russia's second-largest city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv's drones flew about 1,000 km to the St. Petersburg area, targeting weapons depots and Russian navy bases in Kronstadt. He also reported long-range strikes reached the Krasnodar region, 500 km away, hitting an oil depot. "Russia must end the war and stop attacking lives. Any manifestation of injustice against Ukraine will receive an adequate response," Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X.
In Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said the bodies of two missing men were found after a Russian attack. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Ganzha reported one person killed and three wounded in Russian drone and artillery strikes.
Earlier, on June 4, President Zelenskyy made a rare call for direct dialogue with President Putin, proposing to "end the war through a face-to-face meeting." However, speaking at SPIEF on June 5, Putin dismissed a meeting with Zelenskyy as "meaningless" and said it would only make sense if Ukraine stopped advancing. "Let the experts work, build solutions, and then we can meet," Putin said.
The two sides remain at odds. Moscow says it would agree to end the war if it retains the territories it has seized from Ukraine, while Kyiv will only accept a deal when all its territory is returned.
