Vladimir Putin’s showcase economic forum has got off to a rocky start after Ukraine bombed the Russian president’s hometown just as the event was getting underway.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum—an annual gathering known as Putin’s version of Davos—opened Wednesday in the city as Ukrainian drones struck key infrastructure nearby, including the St. Petersburg oil terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment hubs in northwestern Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the assault hit “key targets” as part of a wider wave of “long-range strikes.”
Russia said it downed more than 350 Ukrainian drones overnight across its territory, with around 60 intercepted over the Leningrad region alone. St. Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov confirmed that three districts of the city were targeted, with several people wounded and infrastructure damaged. Airspace around St. Petersburg’s international airport was restricted Wednesday morning, causing delays to roughly two dozen flights.
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