Putin vows to strengthen air defenses after Ukrainian drone strikes

Ukrainian drone strikes that reached St. Petersburg put Russia’s own vulnerabilities on display, forcing Vladimir Putin to promise stronger air defenses as black smoke hung over his hometown’s marquee economic forum. The attacks landed as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum opened, turning a stage built for investment and confidence into a reminder that key infrastructure and military sites inside Russia remain exposed.

Putin made the pledge on June 4 during a meeting with heads of international news agencies at the Constantine Palace, on the sidelines of the forum. He acknowledged that Russian defenses were not stopping every incoming drone. “To our regret, some of them break through,” he said, adding that Russia needed to improve and strengthen its air defense system and would do so.

The strikes hit the Petersburg Oil Terminal and a vessel in dry dock at the Kronstadt naval base, both in the St. Petersburg area. Ukrainian officials said the drones struck an oil terminal in the city and a warship at a nearby naval base, while Zelenskyy said the attacks reached facilities about 1,100 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. The scale of that range matters as much as the targets: it showed that Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign can reach deep into Russian territory and complicate Moscow’s ability to protect high-value assets far from the front lines.

Russian authorities said they intercepted dozens of drones during the attack, but the disruption still spread beyond the blast zones. Mobile internet service was interrupted in St. Petersburg, and black smoke was visible over the city as the forum got underway. The contrast was stark: inside the forum halls, Russia was presenting itself as stable and open for business, while outside, wartime defenses were straining to keep pace.

The forum, often cast by the Kremlin as Russia’s answer to Davos, runs from June 3 to June 6. This year, the event’s political message was overtaken by the evidence of a war that is no longer confined to the battlefield in Ukraine. The attacks on the Petersburg Oil Terminal and Kronstadt, along with Putin’s pledge to bolster air defenses, suggested less a display of control than an admission that the home front is under pressure.