Ukrainian drones over Kronsztad. The Baltic Fleet's arsenal was set on fire

The Ukrainian drone attack on the region of Petersburg and Kronsztad was to cover not only the base of the Baltic Fleet, but also 15. Military arsenal of Russia in Leningrad Oblast. According to Ukrainian sources, after the impact there was a fire and secondary detonation.

Baltic Fleet Base under drone strike

Night impact with 5 by 6 June was not just another drone attack on the St. Petersburg area. According to President Volodymyr Zelenski, Ukrainian unmanneds over 1,000 km and hit objects related to the Russian Navy.

Initially, the most common exchange was in Kronsztada, located on the island of Kotlin in the Gulf of Finland. It is one of the most important points of the Baltic Fleet, with repair, technical and port facilities used by the Russian Navy.

However, new reports shift attention to 15. Military arsenal of Russia in Leningrad Oblast. According to the Ukrainian Security Service, missiles and ammunition used by Russian naval forces.

Fire and detonation in the arsenal area

SBU reported that after the strike in the area of the 15th Naval Arsenal of Russia there was a fire and secondary detonation. The Russian authorities did not reveal exactly what objects were affected by the attack. They limited themselves to information that it was an installation owned by the Ministry of Defence.

NASA FIRMS satellite data is of additional importance. The system recorded thermal anomalies in the area of the village of Bolszaja Iżora and Lebiazhje, i.e. in an area connected in open sources with the infrastructure of the 15th Naval Arsenal of Russia.

At this stage, however, damage cannot be determined. Satellite data confirm the outbreak of heat after the attack, but do not show how many warehouses or other objects may have been damaged.

Communication restrictions and evacuation of residents

Following the attack, information also appeared about the activities of Russian services in the affected area. According to local authorities, some residents were evacuated from the security zone, and work was carried out in the area of Bolshai Iżor and Lebiazhje to neutralize dangerous objects.

Access to the forest belt between towns was also restricted, and local transport was temporarily changed. Such actions may indicate that the effects of the attack were not limited to the fire itself, but also covered the risks of ammunition or its shrapnel.

It was reported separately that after the attack the entrance and departure from Kronsztad were temporarily restricted. This is an important detail because it shows that Russian services have treated the event as a serious threat to security of military facilities and communications in Base area.

Russia talks about 376 drones shot down.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that on the night of 5 to 6 June anti-aircraft defense systems were to intercept or shoot down 376 Ukrainian drones over many regions of Russia, and over occupied Crimea and Azov Sea and Black Sea waters.

According to the governor of the Leningrad region, over 140 drones were to be shot down over the region itself. Such data should be considered as communications of the Russian side, which cannot be independently verified in its entirety. However, they show the scale of night alarm and the burden of Russian anti-aircraft defense.

The mass use of BSP forces Russia to disperse anti-aircraft defense systems between fronts, industrial facilities, fuel infrastructure, marine bases and big cities.

Earlier hitting the corvette Bojki in Kronsztade

A few days earlier, on June 3, Ukrainian drones were to hit the oil terminal in Petersburg and a ship standing in a dry dock in Kronsztad. Corvette is visible on the released recordings Bojki Project 20380. However, there is no complete confirmation of the damage to the unit.

Impacts during the Economic Forum in Petersburg

The timing of the attacks was also political. Ukrainian drones hit the St. Petersburg area during the Petersburg International Economic Forum, one of the most important events used by the Kremlin to demonstrate the resilience of the Russian economy and maintain contacts with foreign partners.

For Kiev it was an opportunity to show that even the Russian naval base in the Baltic is not out of reach of Ukrainian unmanneds. For Moscow, it is not only a military problem, but also a political and image problem. The attacks in the St. Petersburg area undermine the Russian message of full control over the security of strategic facilities located far from the front lines.

War on the Front Line

Attack on 15. The Army of the Navy of Russia shows that Ukraine has consistently moved the strikes deeper and deeper into Russian facilities. Refineries and fuel storage remain the target, but increasingly these are also facilities related to logistics, the arms industry and the security of Russian armed forces.

At the same time, Ukrainian sources reported an impact on the fuel base in Ust-Łabinski in Krasnodar Region. According to Kiev, it was an important point of the logistics facility, used to store and supply fuel for Russian troops operating south and east.

From the point of view of the safety of the Baltic Fleet, the most important thing is that the threat covers not only ships and ports, but also arsenals, shipyards, repair facilities and logistics infrastructure. Kronsztad has for years been seen as a deep backdrop of the Russian Navy in the Baltic. After a series of Ukrainian drone strikes, this assumption is less and less recent.