Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces have said they struck a Russian missile-armed warship at the Kronstadt naval base near St Petersburg, in a fresh escalation of Kyiv’s long-range drone campaign against targets deep inside Russia.
Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said drones “tracked down and set fire” to the corvette Boikyi, which he described as a guided-missile vessel previously deployed near NATO maritime routes.
The claim, if confirmed, would mark one of the most significant strikes yet against Russian naval assets in the Baltic theatre, coming amid a widening Ukrainian effort to target military infrastructure far from the frontline.
The Kronstadt base, located west of St Petersburg in Leningrad Oblast, is a key installation for Russia’s Baltic Fleet and forms part of the defensive network protecting approaches to the city.
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Ukrainian officials said the strike formed part of a broader wave of attacks on military targets in Russia and occupied territories, with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian General Staff confirming operations in the area around St Petersburg overnight.
Russian regional authorities said as many as 50 drones were intercepted over Leningrad Oblast, with Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reporting widespread air defence activity and disruption across the region.
The latest strike comes just hours after Ukrainian drones reportedly hit infrastructure in St Petersburg itself, including the oil terminal, causing temporary disruption at Pulkovo airport and security restrictions across the city.
Taken together, the attacks suggest an expanding Ukrainian strategy aimed at putting pressure on Russia’s Baltic infrastructure and undermining the sense of security around St Petersburg, a city the Kremlin often uses as a symbol of economic and political stability.
The timing is politically sensitive for Moscow. The strikes come as Russia prepares to host the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, a flagship event designed to showcase investment opportunities and signal resilience despite sanctions and international isolation.
🔥 Reports indicate the Russian guided-missile corvette Boyky has been damaged in Kronstadt, near Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg.
If confirmed, Ukraine has struck a warship tasked with protecting Russia’s Baltic approaches hundreds of kilometres from the front.
From oil… pic.twitter.com/36rfZdzpbo
— Shaun Pinner (@ShaunPinnerUA) June 3, 2026
The forum, hosted by President Vladimir Putin, has in recent years been used to project continuity in Russia’s economic strategy even as war-related spending rises and Western companies remain largely absent.
Reports also indicate that a member of the US administration is expected to attend this year’s forum, underscoring Moscow’s efforts to maintain limited international engagement despite the conflict.
The Kremlin has not publicly commented on the specific Ukrainian claims regarding the Boikyi, and battlefield assertions from both sides remain difficult to independently verify.
However, the broader pattern of strikes reflects an intensifying phase of the war in which Ukraine has increasingly focused on long-range drone operations targeting military, energy and logistics infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
As both sides expand the geographic scope of their operations, the conflict continues to shift further beyond the front lines — and deeper into Russia’s own strategic rear.
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