Ukrainian drones struck energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday, hours before the city's flagship economic forum opened, in a blow to Vladimir Putin. Several long-range drones hit oil storage facilities after Russian air defences failed to intercept them, causing loud explosions and black smoke over the city.
St Petersburg's governor, Alexander Beglov, said 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 drone hitting a Russian guided-missile corvette, the Boikiy, which caught fire while in dry dock.
The strikes are deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin, occurring about 10 miles from the forum where Putin is due to speak on Friday. Guests arrived for Wednesday's opening ceremony under thick smoke, and St Petersburg's airport was temporarily closed. About 20,000 visitors from 130 countries are expected at the three-day summit, dubbed Russia's answer to Davos.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strike was part of Ukraine's 'long-range sanctions,' hitting the Petersburg oil terminal, Kronstadt base, and a weapons factory in the Tambov region. He noted the oil facility, one of the largest on Russia's Baltic coast, is about 1,100km from Ukraine's border. 'Our plan for long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as needed to bring peace closer,' he said.
Speaking alongside Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, in Kyiv, Zelenskyy described the strikes as fair, responding to a Russian barrage that killed 23 people on Tuesday. Rutte said Russia is 'increasingly desperate' as Ukraine innovates and makes battlefield gains. Ukraine has waged an increasingly successful aerial campaign to disrupt Russia's economy, hitting ports, oil facilities, and military factories.
