Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at Russian targets early Wednesday, sending smoke rising above the historic heart of St.Petersburg just as the event dubbed “Putin’s Davos” was due to get underway in the city.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The attack on President Vladimir Putin’s hometown, which hosts the showcase annual economic forum, was the latest signal from Kyiv that it can strike deep inside enemy territory and seek to embarrass the Kremlin.
With peace talks deadlocked and battlefield progress stalled, the two sides have been exchanging intensifying aerial attacks.Add NBC News to GoogleHuge attack on Ukraine leaves more than 20 dead01:02In St.Petersburg, where the International Economic Forum was set to begin later Wednesday, local authorities reported several people were injured as Ukraine said it had struck an oil export terminal.
“Important facilities on Russian territory were hit last night,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X early Wednesday, with the St.Petersburg Oil Terminal among the targets.
“Ukraine’s plan for long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as needed to bring peace closer,” he said.Emergency crews were responding to the attacks and assessing damage, St.
Petersburg mayor Alexander Beglov said on Telegram.Smoke rises over St.Petersburg on Wednesday.Ulf Mauder / dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesThe broader Leningrad region, which includes St.
Petersburg, also came under attack, with Russian air defenses intercepting 50 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to regional Gov.Alexander Drozdenko.Moscow was also targeted, with air defenses downing 13 drones approaching the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.The Ukrainian drone attack came a day after Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in months, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than a hundred across several major cities....