Ukraine Targets St. Petersburg’s Oil Terminal and Naval Base During Putin’s Economic Forum

On the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum—widely dubbed “Putin’s Davos”—Ukrainian forces launched a long‑range drone strike that set fire to a major oil terminal and damaged a naval base in the Russian port city.

Reports from Ukrainian officials confirmed that the drones crossed more than 1,000 kilometres to reach the target. The strike triggered thick black smoke over the gulf side and caused a temporary shutdown of Pulkovo Airport while broadband services were briefly cut.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the operation on social media, stating that the attack hit “legitimate targets related to Russia’s war effort.” He said the goal was to weaken Moscow’s oil production, a key funding source for the Russian military.

The Navy base in question was part of the Kronstadt facility near the city, an old stronghold of the Baltic Fleet. Other drone attacks that day struck a guided‑missile corvette in dry dock and a weapons‑manufacturing plant in the Tambov region. Ukrainian air units have repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure deep inside the country in an effort to counterbalance NATO aid and keep the front line at a halt.

Russian authorities responded by stating that air defenses downed a large number of incoming drones and that the attacks were part of a “systematic” campaign. However, the strikes on the oil terminal and naval base underscore the vulnerability of crucial Russian assets.

International observers noted the timing of the attack: it coincided with the forum’s opening. The event had attracted about 20,000 guests from 130 countries, including Saudi delegation and Chinese officials, but many Western participants stayed away. The attack’s dramatic effect yes gave that economic gathering a shadowy backdrop.

Looking forward, Zelenskyy highlighted that Ukraine plans to intensify its long‑range drone attacks, “it is only a matter of time when we will be able to increase the scale of our own mass strikes.” Even as the war, now over four years in duration, shows no signs of ending, each strike aims to shift the strategic balance and prepare for possible negotiations on an equal footing.

As headlines continued to roll over the city—barriers of smoke and the echo of explosions—the attack marked a significant escalation in hostilities, demonstrating that Ukraine can reach Russian core infrastructure while President Putin’s international forum was in full swing.