Ukrainian Drones Strike St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, Embarrassing Putin Ahead of Economic Forum

Ukrainian long-range drones struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, setting it ablaze and sending plumes of black smoke over the city's port, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The attack, which covered more than 600 miles, targeted infrastructure in Russia's second-largest city and the birthplace of President Vladimir Putin, just days before the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a key prestige event for the Kremlin.

Russian authorities confirmed the drone strike but provided few details. St.

Petersburg's airport briefly suspended flights overnight, and mobile internet services were cut off. The attack comes weeks after Putin scaled back Moscow's annual Victory Day parade due to fears of Ukrainian drone strikes, further embarrassing the Russian leader.

The strike is part of a broader pattern of long-range attacks by both sides as the war, now in its fifth year, shows no signs of abating. Ukraine's long-range campaign aims to diminish Russia's oil production, a key funding source for its military, and disrupt weapon production.

Previous Ukrainian attacks have targeted oil facilities at the port of St. Petersburg and nearby ports.

Zelenskyy also reported that Ukrainian drones struck the Kronstadt naval base, an old base for Russia's Baltic Fleet, and a manufacturing plant involved in weapon production in Russia's Tambov region, 370 miles from Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 354 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The Ukrainian strikes came a day after Russian forces launched a massive drone and missile attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 22 civilians and wounding 138. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia's deep strikes have taken on a "systematic" character.

In the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, a Ukrainian strike hit a bus traveling from Moscow to Crimea, killing seven and injuring 11, according to the Kremlin-appointed head of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin. In Russia's Smolensk region, two firefighters were killed by a Ukrainian drone attack, according to regional governor Vasily Anokhin, who said two other firefighters and a local resident were injured.

Meanwhile, Russia fired 198 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's air force, with air defenses neutralizing 189. Authorities in Ukraine's northern Sumy region reported one civilian killed and 15 injured, including three children, by Russian strikes over the previous 24 hours.

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

Zelenskyy expressed frustration with his own government's officials over delays in purchasing American-made Patriot air defense systems, saying an agreement exists at the highest political level but implementation is stalled by financial, legal, and technical issues. "The wait has taken too long," he said on social media, warning of "serious personnel decisions" if the purchase is not unblocked.

Ukraine is short of Patriot missiles, in part due to U.S. stocks depleted by the Iran war, leaving it vulnerable to Russia's ballistic missiles.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday for talks expected to cover air defense needs. The St.

Petersburg International Economic Forum, sometimes called Russia's Davos, has long been a key event for attracting foreign capital, but major Western investors and officials have stayed away since the invasion. Saudi Arabia is a special guest this year and is due to send a large business delegation.