The Baltic states were involved in the drone raid on St. Petersburg, Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, said on X.

In his assessment, the episode shows that the line between a proxy conflict and a direct military confrontation has already been erased. Such a shift, he warned, could have catastrophic consequences.

Earlier, the administration of the St. Petersburg governor reported an attack by Ukrainian drones on infrastructure facilities in several districts of the city. An operational headquarters led by Governor Alexander Beglov is working in St. Petersburg, while emergency services are dealing with the aftermath.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have previously said they did not allow Ukraine to use their territory or airspace for drone strikes against targets in Russia.

Nikolai Patrushev, chairman of the Maritime Collegium, also said that neighboring countries were becoming accomplices in attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian ports in the Baltic. He argued that the flight path of such UAVs requires detailed preparation and, at a minimum, the consent of the authorities of the states whose territory they cross.