Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal ahead of 'Russian Davos'
[June 03, 2026]
Ukrainian long-range drones struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and
set it ablaze, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, as the
Russian city hosts an annual international economic forum that is a
banner event for President Vladimir Putin.
The drones flew more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) to hit the
terminal, Zelenskyy said on social media. Clouds of black smoke rose
over the city’s port after the attack. St. Petersburg is Russia’s
second-largest city and is where Putin was born.
Russian authorities said only that the Ukrainian drone strike targeted
the city’s infrastructure, without providing further details. The
airport of St. Petersburg briefly suspended flights overnight because of
the attack. Authorities also cut off mobile internet services.
With the front line changing little as swarms of drones hinder
battlefield movement, both sides have sought an edge by increasingly
launching long-range strikes. The war that followed Russia’s invasion of
its neighbor has now stretched into its fifth year, with no end in
sight.
Ukraine's drone successes embarrass Putin
The latest strikes are an embarrassment for Putin, weeks after he pruned
back an annual Victory Day parade in Moscow due to fears of Ukrainian
drone attacks.
Putin is set to speak on Friday at the economic forum in St. Petersburg
that the Kremlin views as a prestige event. The gathering has for
decades been Russia’s leading event for attracting foreign capital. It
is sometimes called Russia’s Davos, likening it to the World Economic
Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.
Major Western investors and officials have stayed away since Russia
invaded Ukraine more than four years ago. Saudi Arabia is a special
guest country this year and is due to send a large business delegation.
The 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, as Moscow followed through with its threat
of escalating its regular barrages.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia’s deep
strikes have already taken on a “systematic” character.
Ukraine needs more air defense help
Ukraine is short of American-made Patriot air defense missiles, in part
because of U.S. stocks depleted by the Iran war, leaving it vulnerable
to Russia's ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy on Wednesday expressed frustration with his own government's
officials, saying there is an agreement “at the highest political level”
for the purchase of Patriot systems but implementation is being held up
by financial, legal and technical considerations.
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A plumes of black smoke is seen over the port of St. Petersburg,
Russia, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after a Ukrainian drone attack. (AP
Photo)
“The wait has taken too long,” he said on social media, demanding
that officials unblock the purchase or there will be “serious
personnel decisions.”
NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on
Wednesday for talks with officials that likely will cover air
defense needs.
Ukraine’s own long-range attacks are aimed at diminishing Russia’s
oil production, which is a key source of funding for Moscow, and
disrupting weapon production.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil facilities at the port of St.
Petersburg and nearby ports.
Ukraine also strikes a Russian naval base and a weapons plant
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight also hit 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, 600
kilometers (370 miles) from Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 354
Ukrainian drones overnight.
In the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a
Ukrainian strike hit a bus that was traveling from Moscow to Crimea,
killing seven and injuring 11, according to the Kremlin-appointed
head of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin.
In the Smolensk region, two firefighters were killed by a Ukrainian
drone attack, according to the regional governor, Vasily Anokhin. He
said two other firefighters and a local resident were injured.
Meanwhile, Russia fired 198 long-range drones at Ukraine last night,
according to Ukraine’s air force, with air defenses neutralizing
189.
Authorities in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region said that over the
previous 24 hours one civilian was killed and 15 more were injured,
including three children, by Russian strikes.
In the southern Kherson, Russian overnight shelling and drone
strikes killed an 86-year-old woman and wounded five other people,
according to regional authorities.
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