Ukraine Strikes St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, Kronstadt Naval Base in Massive Drone Assault on SPIEF Opening Day

On June 3, 2026, Ukraine launched a massive coordinated drone assault targeting multiple sites across Russia, including the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Kronstadt naval base (with up to four ships reportedly hit), and a weapons production facility at the Progress Plant in Michurinsk, Tambov region. The attack came hours before President Vladimir Putin opened the annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which drew approximately 20,000 visitors from over 130 countries. Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing more than 350 Ukrainian drones overnight, including at least 50 over the Leningrad region. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport temporarily restricted flights, with more than 30 delayed or cancelled. Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed damage and injuries across three districts of St. Petersburg but reported no fatalities. Separately, a drone strike on a passenger bus traveling from Moscow to Simferopol in the Russia-controlled Donetsk region killed seven people and injured 11, according to Kremlin-installed leader Denis Pushilin. Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal probe into the bus attack as a "terrorist attack." President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strikes hit military targets and called on allies to impose harsher sanctions on Russia to undercut its weapons production capabilities. The attack was a joint operation involving multiple Ukrainian security and military forces, including the Security Service of Ukraine, Unmanned Systems Forces, and Defense Intelligence.