Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg as ‘Russian Davos’ opens in city

0:39 Ukraine strikes St Petersburg oil refinery – video Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg as ‘Russian Davos’ opens in city Energy and military sites targeted as guests gather for economic forum where Putin is due to speak on Friday Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday hours before international guests gathered for the city’s flagship economic forum, in a blow to Vladimir Putin. Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences tried unsuccessfully to shoot them down. There were loud explosions and black smoke rose high above the city from the blazing oil terminal. The St Petersburg’s governor, Alexander Beglov, said the Kirovsky and Krasnoselsky districts were targeted. Ukraine also struck the Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad oblast, the port home to Russia’s Baltic fleet. Vessels were reportedly damaged. The strikes will be deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin, taking place about 10 miles from the forum, where Putin is due to make a keynote speech on Friday. Guests arrived for Wednesday’s opening ceremony under a pall of thick smoke. Others were unable to fly in after St Petersburg’s airport was temporarily closed. About 20,000 visitors from 130 countries are expected to attend the three-day annual summit, which has been described as Russia’s answer to Davos. They include the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the far-right American influencer Candace Owens and the Tate brothers. View image in fullscreen The strikes hit sites about 10 miles from the forum. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump has sent an official US delegation led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr. Cook is overseeing the president’s controversial White House ballroom extension and is chair of the US Commission of Fine Arts. Another guest is the former Hollywood actor and Putin supporter Steven Seagal. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, writing on social media, said the strike was the latest example of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions”. He said drones had hit “important facilities on Russian territory” including the Petersburg oil terminal, the Kronstadt base and a factory producing weapons in the Tambov region. Zelenskyy noted that the oil trans-shipment facility, one of the largest on Russia’s Baltic sea coast, was about 1,100km (680 miles) from Ukraine’s state border. “I thank our warriors for their precision. Ukraine’s plan for long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as needed to bring peace closer,” he said. Gleeful Ukrainian officials shared footage of the attacks, which showed drones buzzing noisily above St Petersburg’s skyline. “The Petersburg forum is opening with a nice plume of black smoke in the background after Ukrainian strikes,” posted Serhiy Sternenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian defence minister. View image in fullscreen Black smoke rises high above the city after the Ukrainian drone strikes. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images On Tuesday a barrage of Russian missiles an