Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, June 5, 2026

EA on LBC: Ukraine’s Attacks Ruin Putin’s St. Petersburg Party

EA-Frontline VideoCast: “Ukraine Can Retake Crimea”

Friday’s Coverage: Zelensky’s Letter to Putin Proposes Face-to-Face Meeting

UPDATE 1156 GMT: Ukraine has struck the St. Petersburg region, about 1,000 km (621 miles) inside Russia, for the second time in four days.

Overnight drone attacks targeted the Russian Navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt.

The strikes surrounded the Kremlin’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, disrupting the conference and overshadowing Vladimir Putin’s address on Friday. They caused serious damage to the St. Petersburg oil terminal and a Russian warship.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the latest attacks, as well as a strike on an oil depot in the Krasnodar region about 500 km (311 miles) from the border.

Russia must end its war and stop its attacks on life. Any manifestation of injustice against Ukraine will receive a just response.

UPDATE 0856 GMT:

Fifteen civilians have been killed and more than 70 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 249 of 272 drones launched by Russia overnight. Nineteen drones struck 11 locations.

In the Kherson region in the south, six civilians were killed and 27 injured in attacks on 50 settlements, including Kherson city. Among the wounded are three children.

Six people were slain and 19 wounded in the Donetsk region in the east.

In the Zaporizhzhia region in the south, two people were killed and at least five injured.

In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, one civilian was murdered and three injured, including two elderly men.

Casaulties were also reported in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Vladimir Putin has rejected Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s open letter for a face-to-face meeting to end Russia’s 51 1/2-month full-scale invasion.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin snapped that the letter was rude and said, “So far I see no point” in a sitdown. Refusing to use Zelensky’s name, he jabbed:

What is this letter about? Is it a means to create an environment for a personal meeting? Or is it meant to make sure no personal meeting takes place. I think it’s the second.

The Russian leader insisted that his invasion could still seize all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Putin exaggerated Moscow’s battlefield position, proclaiming that it holds 85% of Donetsk. He tried to shrug off Ukrainian counter-attacks on Russian-occupied territory and deep inside Russia.

Hours before the Forum opened on Wednesday, Ukrainian drones caused significant damage to St Petersburg’s oil terminal and a Russian warship.

Putin said Russia needed to strengthen its air defences but tried to wish away the effect on key facilities including refineries, port, terminals, and factories as well as military assets.

The Russian economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2026, its first quarterly drop in three years, but Putin insisted:

We, of course, hear criticism from all sides that everything has collapsed.

We have descended to the same level at which Eurozone countries have been living through for the past few years.

In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelensky said: