Ukraine strikes St Petersburg as Russia’s economic forum opens

SAINT PETERSBURG: Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, sending black smoke over the city as foreign officials arrived for Russia’s main annual economic forum.

The strikes targeted the Saint Petersburg oil terminal and the Kronstadt naval base. According to the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, a Russian warship was struck at the naval facility. Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said several people were injured and infrastructure was damaged, but there were no deaths.

The Kremlin said it would respond in a systematic way to the attack. The strike came a day after Russian missiles and drones killed 23 people across Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the operation as fair retaliation for Russia’s continued bombardment and said more attacks could follow. Ukrainian officials said the purpose was also to disrupt the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, a three-day gathering that was once known as Russia’s Davos.

Sergiy Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, commented on the timing of the attack as delegates assembled for the event.

“The Petersburg forum is opening with a nice plume of black smoke in the background after Ukrainian strikes,” Sergiy Sternenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister, said.

Smoke could be seen from the forum venue as participants gathered ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s keynote speech, which is scheduled for Friday.

Organisers expect 20,000 participants from 130 countries to attend the forum. However, following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the event now largely attracts representatives from countries aligned with Moscow. The forum, which previously hosted Western leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, this year is due to feature the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Since the start of the war, the gathering has increasingly reflected Russia’s international isolation.