Ukrainian drones on Wednesday attacked St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, on the opening day of a major annual economic conference that President Vladimir V. Putin has tried to cultivate into a showcase of a modern and prosperous country.
It was the second time in a month that Ukraine had struck a major Russian city before an event important to Mr. Putin, as Kyiv expands a campaign of long-range strikes aimed at inflicting economic damage on Russia.
In early May, Ukrainian forces hit sites in Moscow, including a high-rise apartment building near the city center, days before the annual Victory Day parade, the most important event on the Kremlin’s calendar. A truncated version of the parade was later held after Ukraine mockingly said it would “permit” Russia to hold the event.
On Wednesday, drones hit infrastructure facilities in three districts of St. Petersburg, causing damage and injuring several people, Aleksandr Beglov, the city’s governor, said in a statement. Nearly 60 drones were shot down in the Leningrad region, which surrounds the city, Aleksandr Drozdenko, the region’s governor, said.
St. Petersburg’s main airport, Pulkovo, suspended operations for almost five hours, according to Rosaviatsia, the Russian aviation authority. Early in the morning, the city’s residents reported large plumes of smoke in the sky, as well as roaring noises and bangs, according to Fontanka, a local news website.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on Wednesday that his country’s forces had attacked the St. Petersburg oil terminal and military targets at a navy base in Kronstadt, on an island near the city.
Mr. Zelensky posted what he said was a video of the strikes, which showed oil tanks being hit and black smoke billowing from a seashore oil terminal. A skyscraper belonging to Gazprom, a giant Russian gas company, stood on the other shore of the bay in the background. The video could not be independently verified.
For years, Mr. Putin has developed the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum into a marquee gala for Russian and international businesses. During the early years of his rule, the conference, which usually runs for four days and attracts up to 20,000 attendees, was used as a magnet to draw Western investors to Russia.
At the time, multibillion-dollar oil and gas deals were signed, including the agreement to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. Chevron, BP, Deutsche Bank and Total sent their chief executives, and international pop stars such as Sting and Robbie Williams were featured at the many lavish parties.
But the situation changed dramatically after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, turning the forum into a reminder of Russia’s isolation from the West, as well as a showcase of how the country has survived Western sanctions by turning elsewhere for business ties.
This year, Saudi Arabia was announced as the guest of honor, with its delegation headed by the energy minister. Only two world leaders — the presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania — will be attending.
For the first time in years, the American delegation will be headed by a U.S. government official, but he is a relatively obscure one: Rodney Mims Cook Jr., chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts.
Candace Owens, an American right-wing podcaster and commentator, will speak on Thursday at a panel dedicated to “balancing parenthood in a large family with a successful career.”
Ivan Nechepurenko covers Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. He divides his reporting time between Moscow and Tbilisi, Georgia.
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