Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and a naval base near St Petersburg in the early hours of Wednesday, hours before President Vladimir Putin’s flagship annual economic forum was due to open in the city, in an attack designed to expose the vulnerability of Russia’s second-largest city and embarrass the Kremlin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed his forces had struck the fuel terminal and also targeted a military facility in Kronstadt, an island near the city that houses elements of Russia’s Baltic Fleet and major shipbuilding and repair facilities. Ukraine’s General Staff said preliminary information indicated ships and infrastructure had been hit. Reuters could not independently verify those claims or the extent of damage to the oil terminal.
St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said unspecified infrastructure had been struck in three districts of the city of more than five million people. “Several facilities have been damaged. Clean-up operations are currently underway. Several people have been injured. There have been no fatalities,” he said. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the surrounding Leningrad region, said air defences had shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight.
A plume of grey smoke was visible from St Petersburg’s historic city centre and Reuters correspondents reported hearing loud explosions Wednesday morning — sounds that would also have reached hundreds of guests who had already arrived for the forum. The city’s Pulkovo airport temporarily restricted flights, Russia’s aviation watchdog said, with more than 30 flights delayed or cancelled.
Unconfirmed video posted to social media showed residents filming Ukrainian fixed-wing drones flying over parts of the city as fires appeared to burn at the export fuel terminal in the background. Anti-aircraft fire could be heard as one drone flew on unhindered.
KREMLIN’S ‘DAVOS’ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
The St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin’s annual showcase event designed to attract foreign investment and project an image of a thriving Russia, is being held in the city this week. The forum venue itself was heavily protected and there was no indication that Ukrainian drones came close to it.
The attack is nonetheless likely to fuel questions inside Russia about the effectiveness of its air defences — a problem Ukraine itself is also grappling with on its own territory.
Among this year’s prominent guests are Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. An eclectic group of Americans is also due to attend, including former Hollywood actor Steven Seagal and right-wing commentator Candace Owens. Rodney Mims Cook Jr, appointed by President Donald Trump to head the Commission of Fine Arts, is the first serving US official to attend the forum since 2018, according to the Kremlin.
The attack follows a pattern of Ukrainian strikes timed to coincide with high-profile Russian events. Last month, the threat of Ukrainian drones disrupted preparations for the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, prompting Russia to display no military hardware at the Red Square ceremony for the first time in years. Zelenskiy had promised in advance that his forces would not target the parade itself — a gesture calculated to further unsettle the Kremlin.
The strikes come as both sides escalate attacks against each other in a war now in its fifth year, with no end in sight.
(Reuters)
Read more: