Drone attack on St. Petersburg: Ukraine hits oil terminal and Kronstadt as forum opens

At the start of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026 (SPIEF-26) on 3 June, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a large-scale drone attack on St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in the early hours of the morning. Since then, the largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea has been on fire, and a naval base in Kronstadt was also hit. Explosions were reported from several districts of the city, and dozens of flights were cancelled at Pulkovo Airport.

According to the Russian account, air defences shot down 59 drones over Leningrad Oblast. Some of them were reportedly affected by electronic warfare and crashed into the Gulf of Finland.

Participants of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum gather against the backdrop of a burning oil depot following the overnight drone attack.
The timing of the attack is particularly symbolic, as it comes during one of Russia’s most important political and economic… pic.twitter.com/IBBJ3qEhKi— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 3, 2026

According to Russian sources, the drones flew around the air defence systems of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the naval infantry at only small radii. These sources suspect that US and NATO radar, signals and satellite reconnaissance is behind this.

Drone attack hits the Russian Navy again

Once again, a surface unit of the Russian Navy was targeted. At the end of May, at least one Ukrainian drone had already scored a direct hit on the Black Sea Fleet frigate "Admiral Essen", moored in the port of Novorossiysk, despite heavy defensive fire. On the morning of 3 June, the Baltic Fleet corvette "Boikiy" followed; it is currently in dry dock for shipyard work and was hit at least twice. Russian commentators criticise that the numerous videos show no intensive response from the ship-based anti-aircraft and air defence systems.

According to Russian sources, two Ukrainian drone types were involved. The first is the Antonov An-196 Lutiy, with a length of 4.4 metres and a wingspan of 6.7 metres. It reaches around 200 km/h with a 50 hp engine and pusher propeller, and its range is estimated at up to 2,000 kilometres. With a weight of up to 300 kilograms, the drone carries a warhead of 50 to 75 kilograms. For navigation, it uses a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and an inertial navigation system (INS), complemented by an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera system with image recognition.

Ukrainian attack drones successfully attacked Russia’s Kronstadt naval base this morning, hitting and heavily damaging the Steregushchy-class corvette Boikiy in drydock.
The Boikiy was one of the most capable surface combatants in the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet. pic.twitter.com/8K1nH0OTWd— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 3, 2026

The second type, the Fire Point FP-1/2, is somewhat smaller: it is around 3.5 metres long and has a wingspan of about five metres. Here, too, a piston engine drives a pusher propeller. Russian estimates assume a range of about 1,600 kilometres and an endurance of up to twelve hours. Warhead weights of between 60 and 120 kilograms are cited. Navigation is via satellite navigation and INS, and the electro-optical camera is capable of object recognition.