Drone attack during St Petersburg forum: residents left unaware of alarm

During the St Petersburg Economic Forum, Russia's northwestern region suffered its largest drone attack of the war. The St Petersburg governor formally ordered residents to shelter for the first time, but mobile internet was switched off, leaving most residents unaware of the alert.

Russia's northwestern region, including St Petersburg's outlying areas, came under an extensive drone attack just as the city hosted a prestigious economic forum, where Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that everything was proceeding as planned. It was the largest drone attack on Russia's northwestern territories to date in the war.

Governor's order remained unseen by most

For the first time throughout the entire war with Ukraine, the St Petersburg governor issued an official order asking residents to remain in their apartments and seek safe areas. It was an extraordinary measure that suggested the authorities acknowledged the seriousness of the attack.

Yet the order went unseen by the vast majority: officials switched off mobile internet across the city, which is also the primary channel through which St Petersburg residents would receive emergency alerts. This created a situation where an official warning had been issued, but the channels for disseminating the message were deliberately shut down.

Fatalism replaced proper air defence response

According to accounts circulating on social media and from eyewitnesses, many St Petersburg residents reacted to the drone attack with fatalism instead, with comments like "what can you do, let's dance!" suggesting that some residents had grown accustomed to the dangers brought by war and did not take the situation seriously. Resignation and acceptance replaced proper civil defence response.

This picture stands in sharp contrast to the Kremlin's rhetoric, which holds that the war is far from the front lines and that everyday life in Russian cities continues normally. At the St Petersburg Economic Forum, optimistic speeches about economic growth and the strength of the nation rang out, while Ukrainian drones approached overhead.

The irony of the situation could not be concealed

The St Petersburg Economic Forum is one of Russia's most prestigious business events, designed to demonstrate to investors and international partners the country's stability. The timing of the drone attack with the forum is symbolic: just as Putin reaffirmed that everything is under control, residents of the city were forced to shelter for the first time during the war due to an official threat.