Ukraine targets Russia's 'important facilities'; strikes near Putin's 'Davos' forum

Ukraine launched one of its largest long-range drone attacks on Russian territory overnight on Tuesday (Jun 2), targeting areas around St Petersburg and other strategic locations just as Russia prepared to host its flagship economic forum attended by President Vladimir Putin and global business leaders. Russian authorities said air defences intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones across the country, including around 60 over the Leningrad region surrounding St Petersburg.

The attack coincided with the opening of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), often described as Russia's answer to the World Economic Forum in Davos and one of the Kremlin's most important annual business events.

St Petersburg among key targets

CNN, citing Leningrad region governor Aleksandr Beglov, reported that three districts near St Petersburg came under attack during the overnight assault.

Several people were reportedly injured, while infrastructure facilities sustained damage. The scale of the attack also disrupted air traffic. Authorities temporarily restricted airspace around St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport, causing delays to dozens of flights on Wednesday morning.

Firefighters killed in western Russia

In the western Russian region of Smolensk, near the Belarus border, officials said Ukrainian drones struck critical infrastructure sites.

Governor Vasiliy Anokhin said two firefighters died while battling a blaze caused by debris from a downed drone. Two other firefighters and a civilian suffered minor injuries.

Zelensky claims strikes hit oil terminal, naval base

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the operation and said Ukrainian forces had struck several high-value military and energy targets deep inside Russia. According to Zelensky, the targets included the St Petersburg Oil Terminal, one of northwestern Russia's largest oil transhipment facilities, military installations at the Kronstadt naval base near St Petersburg and a weapons-related facility in Russia's Tambov region.

Sharing footage on social media, Zelensky showed large explosions and thick black smoke rising from one of the targeted sites. "Ukraine's plan for long-range strikes is being carried out exactly as needed to bring peace closer," he said.

Retaliation for deadly Russian attack on Ukraine

The Ukrainian operation came less than 24 hours after Russia launched one of the war's deadliest aerial assaults in recent months. Ukrainian authorities said at least 23 people were killed after Russia fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and other cities. The strikes hit residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Russian attack, calling for an end to strikes on civilian targets.