Ukrainian long-range drones hit an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, causing a fire hours before President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled appearance at an annual Russian economic forum, sources report. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the strike set the terminal ablaze and that smoke billowed over the city.
Multiple outlets describe the attack as occurring in the lead-up to Putin’s “showcase” event, which is promoted as a platform for attracting foreign capital. The West Australian and other reports link the timing of the strike directly to the forum, which begins while the city hosts the event.
The West Australian also reports the drones struck an oil depot and a naval base, while other accounts focus specifically on the oil terminal. None of the provided sources include confirmed details on casualties or the extent of damage beyond the fire.
The reports attribute the attack to Ukraine and cite Zelenskyy’s statements, while they do not describe any immediate response or official Russian findings in the provided excerpts.
