Ukrainian drones struck energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday, hours before international guests gathered for the city's flagship economic forum, delivering a blow to Vladimir Putin. Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences failed to shoot them down, causing loud explosions and sending black smoke high above the city from the blazing oil terminal.
Strikes Near the Forum
St Petersburg's governor, Alexander Beglov, confirmed that the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts were targeted. Ukraine also struck the Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad oblast, the home port of Russia's Baltic fleet, reportedly damaging vessels. The attacks occurred about 10 miles from the forum, where Putin is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech on Friday, deeply embarrassing the Kremlin. Guests arriving for Wednesday's opening ceremony did so under a pall of thick smoke, while others were unable to fly in after St Petersburg's airport was temporarily closed.
Forum Attendance and Reactions
Approximately 20,000 visitors from 130 countries are expected to attend the three-day annual summit, often described as Russia's answer to Davos. Notable attendees include former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, far-right American influencer Candace Owens, and the Tate brothers. Donald Trump has sent an official US delegation led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who oversees the controversial White House ballroom extension and chairs the US Commission of Fine Arts. Another guest is former Hollywood actor and Putin supporter Steven Seagal.
Writing on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as the latest example of Ukraine's "long-range sanctions." He noted that drones hit "important facilities on Russian territory," including the Petersburg oil terminal, the Kronstadt base, and a weapons factory in the Tambov region. The oil trans-shipment facility, one of the largest on Russia's Baltic coast, is about 1,100km (680 miles) from Ukraine's border. "I thank our warriors for their precision. Ukraine's plan for long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as needed to bring peace closer," Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian officials gleefully shared footage of the attacks, showing drones buzzing noisily above St Petersburg's skyline. Serhiy Sternenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, posted: "The Petersburg forum is opening with a nice plume of black smoke in the background after Ukrainian strikes."
Broader Context
On Tuesday, a barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed 23 people across Ukraine and injured scores more, prompting Zelenskyy to renew his plea for more Patriot interceptor missiles from the US. In recent months, Ukraine has waged an increasingly successful aerial campaign to disrupt Russia's economy, with long-range drones hitting ports, oil storage facilities, military factories, and airbases. They have also blown up tankers and trucks on a crucial road connecting occupied southern Ukraine with Crimea, leading to fuel shortages across the peninsula.
Historically, Russia has used the St Petersburg forum to court Western investors, but since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most have stayed away. The Kremlin has instead invited close regional and other allies, including this year the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, alongside ministers from Cuba, Belarus, and Saudi Arabia. Moscow's economy envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, described the forum as a gathering of "sovereign countries" and criticised "globalist" rivals who attended the Davos gathering in Switzerland in January. "The countries of the global south are actively moving toward partnership with Russia and will be strongly represented," he said.
