Ukrainian drones struck energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday, hours before the city's flagship economic forum opened, in a significant blow to President Vladimir Putin. Several long-range drones hit oil storage facilities after Russian air defences failed to intercept them, causing loud explosions and sending black smoke over the city.
St Petersburg's governor, Alexander Beglov, confirmed that the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts were targeted. Ukraine also struck the nearby Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad Oblast, home to Russia's Baltic Fleet. Video footage showed a Ukrainian drone flying low over the port and hitting the guided-missile corvette Boikiy, which caught fire while in dry dock for repairs.
The strikes occurred about 10 miles from the venue of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, where Putin is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on Friday. Guests arriving for Wednesday's opening ceremony were met with thick smoke, and St Petersburg's airport was temporarily closed, preventing some from flying in. The three-day summit, often described as Russia's answer to Davos, is expected to attract around 20,000 visitors from 130 countries, including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, American influencer Candace Owens, and the Tate brothers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as part of Ukraine's 'long-range sanctions' campaign, noting that drones had hit the Petersburg oil terminal, the Kronstadt base, and a weapons factory in the Tambov region. He thanked Ukrainian forces for their precision and said the plan was being implemented to bring peace closer. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Zelenskyy called the strikes fair, referencing a Russian missile and drone barrage on Tuesday that killed 23 people across Ukraine.
Rutte commented that Russia's desperation was growing as Ukraine continued to innovate and make battlefield gains. The strikes are deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin, coming as the forum seeks to court international investors, though most Western investors have stayed away since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
