On the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Ukrainian drones launched a significant attack on St. Petersburg, targeting the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the corvette Boykiy, which was in dry dock at the Kronstadt naval base. This occurred shortly after President Vladimir Putin rejected proposals for talks with Kyiv. The attack, which saw at least five hits and fiery explosions at the oil terminal, caused large-scale fires and destruction to multiple tanks, and set the Boykiy ablaze.
Satellite imagery, made public by US spatial intelligence firm Vantor via AP and Ukrainian investigative groups like Skhemy and CyberBroshono, confirmed the extensive damage. A large smoke plume was visible over the oil terminal, and at least five reservoirs were destroyed. The St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of Russia's largest liquid cargo transshipment terminals on the Baltic Sea, has an annual capacity of 10-12.5 million tons. Black smoke from the burning Boykiy in Kronstadt was visible from St. Petersburg city, approximately 15 miles (25 kilometers) away, including to attendees of the SPIEF conference.
Despite overwhelming evidence from satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, and Ukrainian military videos, Russian authorities, including Governor Alexander Beglov, initially downplayed the attacks, claiming they were unsuccessful and that security measures were effective. Beglov stated, "Yesterday our system of air defense, our officials showed their class, they proved how capable they work." This contradicted reports from residents and the visual evidence. Ukraine's General Staff and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took credit for the attacks, with Zelenskyy noting his country's drone forces "had performed well" and hinting at further strikes.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that the long-range drones, flying more than 600 miles from probable launch sites, aimed to reduce Russia's oil production, a critical source of funding for Moscow, and disrupt weapon production. The attacks were executed by an elite long-range drone strike unit, the 1st SBS Training Center, with assistance from Ukraine's national intelligence agency (SBU) and military intelligence agency (HUR). The SPIEF conference, described as "Russian Davos," hosted approximately 20,000 participants from over 130 countries, including high-profile political attendees like Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The attacks were viewed as an embarrassment for Putin, especially coming just weeks after he had scaled back an annual Victory Day parade due to drone attack fears.
