Russia downsizes navy celebrations as Ukraine strikes near St. Petersburg
Authorities cancelled parades of warships in St. Petersburg, in the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic, and in the far-eastern port of Vladivostok
Russia on Sunday scaled down the festivities honouring its navy, citing security concerns as continuing Ukrainian drone attacks posed a challenge to the Kremlin.
Russian authorities cancelled the parades of warships in St. Petersburg, in the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic and in the far-eastern port of Vladivostok that are usually held to mark the annual Navy Day celebrations.
Asked about the reason for the cancellation of the parade in St. Petersburg even as President Vladimir Putin arrived in his home city to visit the navy headquarters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it’s linked to the overall situation, security reasons, which are above all else.”
The Russian Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 99 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight. Later in the day, officials reported more drones shot down near St. Petersburg. A woman was injured by drone fragments in the Lomonosov region, according to the local authorities.
St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport suspended dozens of flights early Sunday because of the drone threat.
On a trip to St. Petersburg, Putin visited the historic Admiralty building to receive reports on four-day naval manoeuvres that wrapped up on Sunday. The July Storm exercise involved 150 warships from the Baltics to the Pacific.