ST PETERSBURG, Russia, June 3 – Ukrainian forces launched a drone assault on an oil export facility in St Petersburg just hours before President Vladimir Putin’s major economic forum commenced in what appears to be an effort to humiliate the Russian leader and demonstrate the reach of Ukraine’s military capabilities into Russia’s major urban centers.
The assault targeted Putin’s birthplace and the site of his signature economic conference – a high-profile event meant to draw international investment and present Russia in a favorable light – as the conflict between the two nations continues to intensify with no clear resolution on the horizon after more than four years of fighting.
Smoke could be seen rising from the historic downtown area where the oil export facility was damaged, and Reuters journalists on the ground reported hearing powerful explosions throughout Wednesday morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged that his forces had carried out the attack on the fuel facility and revealed they had also hit a military installation near Russia’s second-largest city.
Alexander Beglov, the governor of St Petersburg, reported that unidentified “infrastructure objects” were damaged across three separate areas of the city. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the broader Leningrad region, stated that defensive systems had intercepted 59 drones during the overnight assault.
Pulkovo airport in the city was forced to briefly halt flight operations according to Russia’s aviation authority, while local media reported that over 30 flights faced delays or cancellations.
