Ukrainian drones target St Petersburg in attack Russia calls 'unprecedented'

The city's governor urges residents to remain indoors for the first time since the beginning of the war. Ukrainian drones target St Petersburg in attack Russia calls 'unprecedented' Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. President Zelensky posted a video on social media showing drones and explosions Russian authorities say Ukraine has launched an "unprecedented attack" on and around St Petersburg, as the city hosts the final day of Russia's annual economic forum. More than 140 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region, governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, while the city's governor, Alexander Beglov, urged residents to remain indoors for the first time since the war began. Ukraine's president said his forces hit Russia's arsenals and a naval base in what he called a just response to Russian attacks. It comes a day after Vladimir Putin told the forum there was no point in meeting Volodymyr Zelensky, who had called for direct talks on ending the war. there was no point in meeting Volodymyr Zelensky, who had called for direct talks on ending the war. Zelesnky posted on social media on Saturday to say it was "time to end this war", but accused Russia's leader of wanting to "keep fighting". He said his country's drones had covered a distance of 1,000km (620 miles) to the St Petersburg region, targeting "the enemy navy's arsenals and a base in Kronstadt", referring to the main outpost of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet. Drozdenko said Ukraine's attacks caused a fire at an unspecified military facility, and that residents were being evacuated. He also said buildings sustained "insignificant" damage. According to Zelensky, an oil depot 500km (310 miles) away, in the southern Krasnodar region, was also hit as part of Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" - a euphemism for strikes on Russia. These latest attacks follow Ukrainian strikes on the outskirts of St Petersburg as Putin's flagship economic forum was getting under way just days earlier. on the outskirts of St Petersburg as Putin's flagship economic forum was getting under way just days earlier. The major forum, designed to attract foreign investment into the country, drew thousands of guests from 130 countries, including a low-key US delegation. On Thursday, Zelensky called for a ceasefire and face-to-face negotiations with Putin to end the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. He wrote in an open letter that it would be "wrong to simply wait" for the conflict to once again come to the attention of the US. Speaking at the economic forum on Friday, Putin refused the request for a meeting and reiterated his position that a truce would only allow Ukraine to regroup. He said he would only end the war when Russia's goals had been met. Russia's longstanding position is that Ukraine should withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as abandon efforts to join Nato. Ukraine has refused to give up any territory, arguing that concessions to Moscow would embolden it to invade again in the future. Map of Ukraine showing regions under Russian military control shaded red, limited control in red stripes, and claimed control shaded yellow as of 18 February. The regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – with almost all of Luhansk shaded red and much of the other three provinces also under Russian control. Crimea which was annexed by Russia in 2014 is also are marked as under Russian control. Major cities labelled include Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. Source: ISW Meanwhile, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the Moscow-installed authorities have suspended coach services on two motorways following a campaign of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian logistics. They urged local residents not to use them "for security reasons". The Russia-backed administration also banned commuter train services and transportation of groups of children within Luhansk. Putin had said Russia was in full control of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic". In recent weeks, Ukraine's drone forces have been targeting Russian logistics in occupied parts of Ukraine. An analyst told the BBC that more than 200 lorries and over 30 fuel trucks had been hit since the beginning of May. In the four years since Russia's invasion began, Ukraine has developed its defence sector. Kyiv is now able to regularly hit targets within Russia, focusing its efforts on energy infrastructure and oil facilities, which it sees as fuelling Moscow's war machine. President Putin lifts his finger as if to make a point as he speaks into a microphone. He is dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and red patterned tie and is speaking in front of a marine blue backdrop Putin says there is 'no point' meeting Zelensky over ending Ukraine war A poster showing Russian President on the side of a road where a man wearing black trousers, a gret top is carrying a child on his neck, with a woman walking by his side, wearing light blue trousers,a white top and a pink jacket, as well as carrying a small black handbag Ukraine accused of killing four in occupied Crimea Stylised image showing a map of Ukraine overlaid with images of tanks and a soldier holding a shoulder launcher Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia The Russian president's refusal comes after his Ukrainian counterpart wrote an open letter calling for face-to-face talks. Ukraine says it struck five ships carrying illegal cargo in the Sea of Azov and in coastal waters of Russian-occupied territories. Ukraine's president tells the Russian leader that only "direct engagement" between the two countries could end the war, with the US focused on Iran. Incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking a third term despite falling domestic support. Some 18 Republicans joined the Democrats to back the measure, after a smaller group broke ranks on another vote in recent days. At least 10 people have been injured in the attacks, according to Russian-backed officials. Johann Wadephul said it was "no secret" Russia had stirred up sentiment against Germany over its support for Ukraine. The bus was hit in the eastern Donetsk region, an official says.