Ukraine attacks Saint Petersburg at the opening of Putin's economic forum
Drones have struck the Russian oil export port in response to the massive attack against Kyiv and Dnipro
MoscowThe image of the foreign delegates of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum entering the exhibition center with columns of smoke from Ukrainian drones in the background is probably the last thing Vladimir Putin would have wanted to see. Kyiv has launched an attack on the oil export port of the country's second city, coinciding with the inauguration of this event, which the Kremlin wants to present as its alternative to the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Russian president plans to attend on Thursday and Friday.
the attack on a university residence in Donbas, in which 21 young people diedVolodymyr Zelensky highlighted that the crude oil export terminal is 1,100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. He also announced the attack on the naval base where the Russian Baltic Fleet is docked, in Kronstadt, west of St. Petersburg, and on a weapons manufacturing company in Tambov, about 500 kilometers south of Moscow. In total, the Ukrainian army sent 350 drones against Russian territory this morning.
Russia insists on accusing the Baltic countries of allowing Ukrainian aircraft to fly in their airspace, which, from the Kremlin's point of view, makes them accomplices of Kyiv. On Friday, Putin threatened to attack these states with the excuse that "all locations that represent a direct threat to Russia are legitimate targets." Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov assures that the response to the drones against St. Petersburg "will be systematic and, in fact, already is" and adds that the war is underway "precisely to prevent these types of attacks".
The Ukrainian shelling occurred the day after Russia carried out a massive missile attack against the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Dnipro. At least 23 people died and almost 140 were injured. Putin had justified the escalation by arguing that Zelensky has brought the war to "a new dimension" with the attack on a university dormitory in Donbas, in which 21 young people died. In the last few hours, a Ukrainian drone has also killed eight people traveling on a bus in the occupied region of Donetsk.
A forum with US presence
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, held since 1997, has had practically no Western participants since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This year, however, for the first time in almost a decade, delegates from the United States will attend, who will participate in a session dedicated to cultural cooperation between Washington and Moscow. Also present will be the Chinese Vice President, Han Zheng, who will meet with Putin, and the Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy, Abdulaziz bin Salman, as well as deputies from the German far-right party Alternative for Germany. In total, the Kremlin expects more than 20,000 participants from 130 countries. The theme of this edition, "Pragmatic Dialogue: The Path to a Stable Future," focuses largely on Russia's relations with the Global South and the expansion of artificial intelligence.
The Russian president will deliver an extensive speech from the event's podium on Friday. He will do so at a very delicate moment for his economy, with soaring military spending, a strangled civilian industry, and few prospects for a near end to the conflict. Despite evidence that the front is stalled and that this spring's Russian offensive has not had the success of previous campaigns, Putin repeats that victory in Ukraine is within reach.