Ukrainian Drones Strike St Petersburg During Putin’s Navy Day Visit

Ukrainian drones targeted St Petersburg on July 30, 2023, coinciding with Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s visit to the city for Navy Day. The incident prompted the temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport for five hours, affecting numerous flights as Putin observed naval drills despite the cancellation of the traditional naval parade due to security concerns.

Each year, St Petersburg hosts a significant naval parade on Navy Day, featuring a flotilla of warships sailing along the Neva River and attended by Putin. This year’s event was notably scaled back, following previous warnings of potential threats. State media reported that Russian authorities suspected Ukrainian plans to disrupt last year’s parade.

Confirming the cancellation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that security considerations necessitated the change. Initial reports of the parade’s cancellation emerged in early July. On the day of Navy Day, Putin arrived at the city’s historic naval headquarters via patrol speedboat, where he oversaw drills involving over 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel across various maritime regions, including the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, as well as the Baltic and Caspian Seas.

In a video address, Putin remarked, “Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet.”

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that air defense units successfully intercepted a total of 291 Ukrainian drones during the attacks. This number is notably lower than the record of 524 drones downed during attacks on May 7, ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that over 10 drones were intercepted above the region, with falling debris resulting in injuries to one woman.

At 08:40 Irish time, Drozdenko announced that the drone attack had been repelled. During this incident, Pulkovo Airport experienced significant disruptions, with 57 flights delayed and 22 diverted to alternative airports. Operations at the airport resumed later on Sunday.

A Russian blogger, Alexander Yunashev, who was part of a reporting group traveling with Peskov, shared that their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg faced a two-hour delay due to the drone attack. The events on Navy Day highlight the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, significantly impacting both military operations and civilian travel.