Ukrainian long-range drones struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Kronstadt naval base on Wednesday, igniting massive fires and damaging military assets just hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The attacks targeted critical energy and military infrastructure in Russia's second-largest city, creating a visible backdrop of thick black smoke as international delegates arrived for the summit, often dubbed "Putin's Davos."
The targets included the JSC Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment facilities on the Baltic Sea, which was set ablaze after drones bypassed air defenses. In the nearby city of Kronstadt, Ukrainian forces struck the naval base home to Russia's Baltic Fleet, with video evidence confirming a direct hit on the guided-missile corvette Boikiy while it was in dry dock for repairs.
Additional strikes reportedly hit a weapons factory in the Tambov region, part of what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "long-range sanctions" designed to disrupt Russia's logistics and war economy.
The timing coincided with the start of SPIEF, a flagship event intended to showcase Russia's economic resilience, attended by approximately 20,000 guests from 130 countries. Notable attendees included a low-key US delegation led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and popular American personalities such as podcaster Candace Owens.
The Ukranian assault forced the temporary closure of Pulkovo Airport and disrupted mobile internet services in St. Petersburg, while Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted over 350 drones across multiple regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky labeled the operation a highly precise execution of Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" to disrupt Russia's war economy.
In response to the strikes, which followed earlier deadly Russian barrage on Kyiv that killed 23 people, the Kremlin promised "systemic" retaliation.
In immediate retaliation for the St. Petersburg strikes, Russian forces launched another wave of attacks. Dnipro, which was actively observing an official day of mourning for the victims of the previous day's attack, was struck again. A precision-guided Iskander-M ballistic missile directly struck a massive distribution and food storage warehouse belonging to ATB, Ukraine’s largest supermarket chain.
The strike entirely destroyed a vital hub of civilian food supply. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov expressed immense frustration online, tying the event directly to the Kronstadt naval strike: "We hit their war corvette in Kronstadt. And they target ATB grocery warehouses in Dnipro."
The warehouse strike, combined with a secondary strike on an innovative Nova Poshta (postal service) logistics terminal and residential areas later that evening, injured at least 12 people in Dnipro, leaving three in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Owens emerged as one of the headline foreign guests at SPIEF, participating in multiple sessions alongside high-ranking Russian officials like State Duma Deputy Chair Anna Kuznetsova and nationalist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin.
Owens was featured on panels addressing the "social sphere and new technologies," as well as sessions focused on family policy, titled "Balancing parenthood in a large family with a successful career."
The popular conservative commentator who was the event with her husband George Famer, criticized Western liberal social norms, claiming that institutional shifts in Western Europe and the United States have degraded traditional family structures and core civic values. She suggested her presence in Russia as an act of defiance against what she termed "globalist" censorship, praising alternative platforms that allow for non-Western-aligned perspectives.
Speaking directly to journalists on the sidelines of the forum, Owens directed her sharpest critiques toward U.S. foreign policy and financial commitments to Ukraine. "Ordinary Americans are growing increasingly fatigued by unchecked foreign aid spending while critical domestic issues are sidelined," the 37-year-old mother of 4, said.
Owens asserted that billions of American tax dollars are being funneled into a foreign conflict to sustain "oligarchical spending," arguing that the average U.S. citizen receives no benefit while domestic infrastructure, economic stability, and border security suffer. She argued that mainstream media narratives have artificially sustained the conflict against the true economic interests of the American public.
Also in the country, are controversial 'manosphere' influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate who made a highly publicized arrival at a Moscow airport, where they were greeted by traditional Russian folk dancers offering bread and salt. While the Tate brothers' presence sparked intense debate within Russia, their itinerary was focused heavily on filming content for international audiences and meeting with cultural figures.
