Putin’s Hometown of St. Petersburg Targeted by Ukrainian Drones

Ukraine’s long-range drone fleet set an oil storage terminal ablaze in Russia’s second-largest city just as President Vladimir Putin prepares to address the country’s biggest annual investment showcase.

Flames and Black Smoke Over Putin’s Hometown

Ukraine launched a long-range drone assault on an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and the city lit up with thick black smoke over its port. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike on Wednesday. The drones covered more than 1,000 kilometres roughly 600 miles to reach their target. St. Petersburg holds a very special place in Russian politics it is Putin’s birthplace and Russia’s second-largest city.

Russian authorities acknowledged only that a Ukrainian drone hit the city’s infrastructure. They stopped short of sharing any further details. St. Petersburg’s airport briefly suspended flight operations overnight because of the attack. Authorities also cut mobile internet services in parts of the city.

Embarrassment for Putin on His Big Week

The timing could not be more awkward for the Kremlin. Putin is set to address the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. The gathering sometimes called “Russian Davos” is Russia’s most prestigious event for attracting foreign investment. It has drawn the world’s top business leaders for decades.

This year, major Western investors and officials have stayed away they have not shown up since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. Saudi Arabia is this year’s guest of honour and is expected to send a large business delegation.

The strikes come just weeks after Putin pulled back from Moscow’s annual Victory Day parade out of fear of Ukrainian drone attacks.

War Enters Its Fifth Year With No End in Sight

The conflict that erupted after Russia’s invasion of its neighbour has now dragged into its fifth year. Neither side has managed a decisive breakthrough on the front lines. Swarms of drones now fill the skies on both sides making battlefield movement harder than ever. Both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly turned to long-range strikes to try to gain an edge.

Ukraine’s deep-strike strategy has a clear goal hit Russia’s oil production and disrupt its weapons manufacturing. Both are critical to funding and sustaining Moscow’s war machine. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil facilities at the port of St. Petersburg and at nearby ports along the same coastline.

Kronstadt Naval Base and Weapons Plant Also Hit

Zelenskyy revealed that overnight drone attacks reached even further. Ukrainian drones struck the Kronstadt naval base the historic home of Russia’s Baltic Fleet. They also hit a manufacturing plant involved in weapons production in Russia’s Tambov region, some 600 kilometres around 370 miles from Ukraine’s border.

Russia’s Defence Ministry reported that air defences shot down 354 Ukrainian drones overnight. Despite that figure, the strikes still caused fires and disruptions across multiple regions.

Civilian Deaths on Both Sides

The drone barrage from Ukraine came just one day after Russia launched one of its own a massive combined drone and missile attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. At least 22 civilians died and 136 more were wounded. The Kremlin followed it up with threats to further escalate its bombardment campaigns.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia’s deep strikes have already taken on what he described as a “systematic” character.

In Russia’s occupied Donetsk region, a Ukrainian strike hit a bus travelling from Moscow to Crimea killing seven passengers and injuring eleven more, according to the Kremlin-appointed regional head Denis Pushilin.

In the Smolensk region, two firefighters died after a Ukrainian drone struck during an emergency response. The regional governor Vasily Anokhin said two other firefighters and one local resident also sustained injuries.

In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, one civilian was killed and fifteen more were injured including three children from Russian strikes over the previous 24 hours.

In the southern Kherson region, Russian overnight shelling and drone attacks killed an 86-year-old woman and wounded five other people.

NATO Chief Arrives in Kyiv : Air Defence on Agenda

Ukraine continues to face a critical shortage of American-made Patriot air defence missiles. The gap opened up partly because U.S. stockpiles were depleted during the Iran war leaving Kyiv more exposed to Russia’s ballistic missile strikes.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday. Talks with Ukrainian officials are expected to focus heavily on air defence supply needs.