Ukrainian drones struck St Petersburg, Russia, shortly before the opening of the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), 3 June. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the oil terminal and a naval base in nearby Kronstadt had been the targets of what he called ‘long-range sanctions’.
Pulkovo Airport was temporarily closed as local authorities said they had shot down 59 drones overnight in the wider region. No one has been reported killed in the latest attack.
Twenty thousand Forum attendees include guests from 130 countries and a US delegation. The event was not disrupted according to initial reports. The ‘Russian Davos’ runs until Saturday 6 June at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center under the theme, ‘Pragmatic Dialogue: the Path to a Stable Future’.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the Forum on Friday in his home town. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will also speak at a panel on the environment on Friday.
The Forum is a major event on the Russian political and economic calendar, although fewer Western delegations now attend following the war launched against Ukraine in 2022.
