Ukraine's new military-diplomatic campaign: drones in St Petersburg and Zelenski's letter to Putin

Ukrainian drones attacked St Petersburg on 3 June, the opening day of the International Economic Forum. The following day, Volodymyr Zelenski released an open letter to Vladimir Putin proposing a meeting, but Putin's team rejected the proposal.

Ukraine launched a new military-diplomatic campaign in early June, in which drones attacked St Petersburg on the same day the International Economic Forum opened. This is confirmed by sources from Volodymyr Zelenski's team speaking to Ukraina Pravda.

Drone attack on forum opening day

The attack took place on 3 June and was coordinated with the timing of the St Petersburg forum. According to sources close to Zelenski's team, this was a deliberate message: Ukraine can strike deep into Russian territory even as the country's elite gathers before the world for a prestigious economic event.

Zelenski's letter to Putin

The following day, on 4 June, Volodymyr Zelenski released an open letter to Vladimir Putin, calling on him to meet and end the war. Observers noted that the letter's tone was confrontational rather than conciliatory, Zelenski was not asking for peace, but laying down conditions. Vladimir Putin rejected the meeting.

Campaign objectives

According to sources from Zelenski's team, the campaign aims to combine military pressure with diplomatic initiative to demonstrate to the West and international partners that Ukraine remains an active participant ready for negotiations, while simultaneously maintaining military operations. This two-pronged approach is intended to pressure Moscow and keep international attention focused on the possibility of resolving the conflict.