Ukrainian drones attack St. Petersburg on opening day of flagship economic forum

Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s Leningrad region on Wednesday morning, according to local authorities, hours before the opening of the multi-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said that infrastructure in the port of Kronstadt and in the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts had come under attack, with several people injured. Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported that four private homes were damaged by falling debris in the Luga district.

Additionally, drones struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, according to Ukrainian Telegram channels and the Russian independent outlet ASTRA, though Governor Beglov did not mention this facility in his statement. Photos showed a thick black cloud of smoke rising over the terminal.

The attack forced Pulkovo Airport to delay 29 flights for several hours, with nine others diverted to alternate airfields. All restrictions have since been lifted. Mobile internet outages were also reported across St. Petersburg, according to the Downdetector monitoring platform.

The St. Petersburg Economic Forum is set to take place from 3–6 June. Among other guests, the event is set to feature US right-wing influencer Candace Owens, Vladimir Putin’s daughters Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, and former Hollywood actor Steven Seagal.