Vladimir Putin attended a scaled-down Navy Day event in his home city of St Petersburg on July 30, 2023, despite security concerns that led to the cancellation of the traditional naval parade. This year’s event was notably diminished due to a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the city, resulting in the temporary closure of St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport.
Typically, Navy Day in St Petersburg includes a grand parade featuring a flotilla of warships sailing along the Neva River. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the parade would not take place this year due to safety issues. Instead, Putin arrived at the historic naval headquarters by patrol speedboat, where he oversaw military drills involving over 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel across the Pacific, Arctic, Baltic, and Caspian Seas.
In a video address, Putin stated, “Today we are marking this holiday in a working setting, we are inspecting the combat readiness of the fleet.” The Russian Defence Ministry reported that air defense units downed a total of 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones on the same day, a number significantly lower than the record 524 drones intercepted during attacks on May 7, just prior to Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
The drone attacks on St Petersburg led to significant disruptions. Governor Alexander Drozdenko of the Leningrad region noted that more than ten drones were intercepted over the area, with falling debris injuring one woman. Pulkovo airport experienced a temporary shutdown, which resulted in 57 flights being delayed and 22 flights diverted to other airports. Operations resumed later in the day.
Russian blogger Alexander Yunashev, part of the official press group accompanying Peskov, reported that their flight from Moscow to St Petersburg was delayed by two hours due to the drone attacks. As Russia continued its military operations, drone and missile strikes persisted against Ukrainian targets, including infrastructure in the Sumy region. The regional military administration confirmed that a drone attack damaged several civil structures, injuring three individuals. Additionally, two men were killed by a landmine explosion, and another woman was injured in a separate drone strike.
In response to the ongoing conflict, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to maintain independent anti-corruption bodies within Ukraine. Von der Leyen reiterated the European Union’s commitment to support Ukraine on its path toward EU membership, emphasizing the importance of governance and transparency in the process.
As tensions continue to rise, the events surrounding Navy Day in St Petersburg highlight the complexities of the ongoing conflict and its impact on both military celebrations and civilian life.
