Ukraine has carried out a strike on the outskirts of Russia's St Petersburg, with the action occurring hours before the opening of an international economic forum intended to attract foreign investment. As dawn broke, smoke rose over Russia’s second-largest city, where Vladimir Putin was scheduled to address the event.

Local authorities said air defences shot down 59 drones overnight and that three different districts of St Petersburg were hit, with no reported fatalities. The attack disrupted mobile internet and led to a temporary closure of St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, while nearby areas in Latvia and Estonia also issued air-raid alerts.

Kremlin officials said Moscow would respond. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow’s response would be “systemic in nature.”

Later, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian drones hit multiple locations in Russia, including an oil terminal and a naval base in Kronstadt, a nearby town that serves as a key outpost of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet. Zelensky described the strikes as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” plan aimed at bringing peace closer.

Unverified videos posted by Ukrainian military figures showed drones heading toward docked ships, though the footage cut off before impact. Ukraine’s commander of unmanned systems, Robert Brovdi, said a corvette named Boikiy was struck.

The St Petersburg Economic Forum—often described as the “Russian Davos”—is a major event on Russia’s political calendar. The forum is scheduled to host thousands of guests from 130 countries, including a low-key US delegation. The article notes that Western participation has been limited since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, though some lower-profile attendance is expected this year.

Meanwhile, the article also references ongoing strikes by Moscow against Ukrainian cities and reports civilian casualties from recent missile and drone attacks in Ukraine.