Ukraine hits St. Petersburg on opening day of Putin forum

Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg just as Vladimir Putin’s showcase economic forum opened, bringing the war to a city the Kremlin has tried to present as a symbol of stability, control and business as usual.

The strikes landed on the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is running June 3 to June 6 at ExpoForum. Organizers said representatives from more than 130 countries and territories had confirmed participation, with about 20,000 guests expected and Saudi Arabia named guest of honor. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman was expected to lead a high-level delegation.

Instead of projecting confidence, the forum opened under the shadow of explosions. Local officials said 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over the Leningrad region. Authorities said several facilities were damaged, several people were injured and there were no fatalities. The attack affected infrastructure in three districts of Russia’s second-biggest city, home to more than 5 million people.

The targets included an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and a warship in dry dock at a nearby naval base. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed that Ukrainian drones struck the fuel terminal and targeted a military facility in Kronstadt. Ukraine also released video it said showed a drone hitting the corvette Boiky in dry dock there. The location of the attack and the vessel model could be verified, though the extent of damage to the ship and terminal could not be independently confirmed.

The timing cut sharply against the Kremlin’s message. SPIEF has long been branded as Russia’s answer to Davos, but this year’s edition has become Putin’s fifth wartime economic conference since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. The forum’s central theme is economic growth, even as Russian officials and former central bank figures warn of mounting problems, including high interest rates, higher war-related taxes and falling investment.

The strike came a day after Moscow launched a major drone and missile attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, underscoring the escalating cycle of retaliation. The Kremlin said Russia would keep striking Ukraine systematically in response to such attacks, framing the conflict as entering a new paradigm. NATO chief Mark Rutte, speaking in Kyiv, said Russia was growing increasingly desperate as military and economic difficulties deepen.

Meduza reported that Ukrainian drones had already reached the St. Petersburg region earlier this spring, including Ust-Luga, a key Baltic oil-export port. But the attack on the forum’s opening day carried a different message: even far from the front line, wartime normalcy is breaking down in the heart of a city that the Kremlin wants seen as orderly, prosperous and under control.