Only a few hours before the St.\u00a0Petersburg International Economic\nForum (SPIEF) officially opened on Wednesday (3\/6), the region was\nshaken by Ukrainian drone attacks. These explosions serve as a stark\nreminder of the ongoing war, occurring just as the Kremlin prepares to\nwelcome international guests to President Vladimir Putin\u2019s home\nterritory.<\/p>\n
Thick black smoke was visible in the sky over St.\u00a0Petersburg,\nRussia\u2019s second most important city. The incident forced Pulkovo Airport\nto temporarily restrict airspace, resulting in the delay and diversion\nof approximately 30 flights. The Governor of St.\u00a0Petersburg, Alexander\nBeglov, confirmed that attacks hit infrastructure in three districts,\nwhile air defences reportedly intercepted 59 drones in the Leningrad\nregion overnight.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that their drones\nsuccessfully struck the St.\u00a0Petersburg Oil Terminal. This attack is part\nof Ukraine\u2019s long-term strategy to cripple the Russian war economy\nthrough long-range strikes deep into enemy territory. \u201cUkraine\u2019s plan\nfor long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as needed to bring\npeace closer,\u201d Zelensky wrote in a social media post showing a burning\noil depot.<\/p>\n
In addition to the oil terminal, other targets included military\nfacilities at the Kronstadt naval base and weapons production sites in\nthe Tambov region. These strikes occurred a day after Russia launched\nmissiles at Kyiv and Dnipro, killing at least 23 people.<\/p>\n
Despite the smoke from the attacks, SPIEF proceeded with the presence\nof controversial guests. One notable figure was Rodney Mims Cook Jr.,\nChairman of the US Fine Arts Commission, who is being cited as the first\nofficial US representative to attend after years of boycotts. While Cook\nclaimed his participation was approved by the State Department, he was\nnot officially appointed by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Russian Presidential Assistant Yury Ushakov welcomed Cook\u2019s presence\nas a sign of thawing relations with Washington. Cook is scheduled to\nspeak in a Russian-US cultural dialogue session alongside Russian\nfigures currently under international sanctions, such as Valery Gergiev\nand Mikhail Piotrovsky.<\/p>\n
As the war enters its fifth year, both sides are engaged in an\nincreasingly widespread aerial campaign. Russia continues to threaten\nincreased bombing, while Ukraine is beginning to feel the impact of its\nretaliatory strikes on Russian oil refineries, which have triggered fuel\nshortages in several regions. President Putin is scheduled to deliver\nhis keynote speech on Friday (4\/6), where he is expected to project\nRussian economic resilience to the remaining foreign investors, even as\nthe shadows of drone attacks haunt the economic hub.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ukrainian-drones-attack-oil-terminal-as-putins-economic-forum-opens-1780837237", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }