Just as Vladimir Putin’s premier St. Petersburg International Economic Forum began its four-day run, Ukrainian long-range drones attacked the Petersburg Oil Terminal early on Wednesday, igniting fuel storage tanks and billowing plumes of black smoke over Russia’s second-largest city. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, confirmed the bombing, which was one of the war’s most symbolically timed attacks.
A 1,100-Kilometer Attack
Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukrainian soldiers attacked military targets in Russia’s Kronstadt naval base and a weapons manufacturing company in the Tambov region, in addition to the oil terminal, which is around 1,100 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. The attacks revealed Kyiv’s growing capacity for long-range drones and its readiness to attack infrastructure located deep within Russian territory.
Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, reported that 50 drones were shot down overnight by Russia’s air defenses. Infrastructure in the Kronstadt, Kirovsky, and Krasnoselsky districts was damaged, according to St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov. Numerous individuals were hurt, but no fatalities were reported. At least 20 drones that were aimed at the capital were intercepted, according to a separate report from Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Forum Designed With Project Strength In Mind
The timing seemed deliberate, undermining the forum’s message. Often referred to as Russia’s Davos equivalent, the June 3–6 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was anticipated to draw 20,000 attendees from 100 nations. On Friday, Putin is expected to give a major speech.
This year’s forum’s designated guest nation is Saudi Arabia, whose delegation is headed by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, the minister of energy. The Interfax news agency reports that Chinese Vice President Han Zheng visited Russia this week to attend.
A More Comprehensive Campaign Against Russian Energy
The attack is part of Ukraine’s ongoing offensive against Russian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy claimed on Monday that around 40% of Russia’s primary refining capacity was offline as of late May and that the Ukrainian military had attacked 15 Russian oil refineries between January and May. Along with the Ust-Luga terminal farther west, the Petersburg Oil Terminal, located on the Gulf of Finland, is one of Russia’s major Baltic export facilities and has been attacked several times this year.
To interfere with the navigation systems that drones rely on, Russia has increasingly resorted to cutting off mobile internet access in areas where drone threats exist. This strategy was reported in St. Petersburg as recently as March and in Moscow in May.