War reaches Putin’s hometown as Ukraine strikes St Petersburg oil hub

Ukraine said Wednesday it had struck an oil terminal in St Petersburg, bringing the war deep into Russia’s second city as President Vladimir Putin’s flagship economic forum opened under tightened security.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces hit the St Petersburg Oil Terminal overnight, about 1,100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. He said other targets included military facilities at the Kronstadt naval base and a weapons production site in Russia’s Tambov region.

Russian officials said air defences had downed dozens of Ukrainian drones over the region, but acknowledged damage to infrastructure sites. St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said several people were injured, while regional authorities said no deaths had been reported.

The strike came as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum opened in Putin’s hometown, an event the Kremlin uses to project economic resilience despite Western sanctions and more than four years of war. Smoke from the attacks was visible from parts of the city, and flight restrictions temporarily disrupted operations at Pulkovo airport.

The timing was significant. Kyiv has stepped up long range attacks on Russian energy and military infrastructure in recent months, seeking to show that Moscow’s war economy is vulnerable far from the front line. Ukrainian officials say the strikes are aimed at military related targets and infrastructure that helps finance Russia’s war effort.

The St Petersburg attack followed one of Russia’s largest recent air assaults on Ukraine. Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and other areas earlier this week, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials. The strikes damaged residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

The exchange underlined the direction the war has taken in recent months. Russia has continued to use heavy missile and drone barrages against Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine has increasingly relied on long range drones to hit oil facilities, refineries, logistics hubs and military sites inside Russia.

Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russia strengthens its position in any future negotiations. Speaking in Kyiv alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he said Ukraine was ready for diplomacy but would not negotiate from weakness.

Rutte used the visit to reaffirm NATO support for Kyiv and warned that Russia was paying a high human cost for limited gains on the battlefield. Western and Ukrainian assessments suggest Russian ground advances have slowed in recent weeks, particularly in the Donbas, where Moscow has continued to press for control of the remaining parts of Donetsk region.

Russia still holds large areas of eastern and southern Ukraine and has made Donbas the central demand in any peace settlement. Kyiv rejects any formal surrender of occupied territory. That dispute remains one of the main obstacles to renewed talks.

Recent U.S. backed efforts to revive diplomacy have produced little progress. Ukraine wants security guarantees and continued Western military support before entering any settlement. Russia has insisted that Ukraine accept territorial losses and abandon ambitions to join NATO.

For now, both sides appear to be trying to improve their position before any serious negotiation. Russia is relying on air attacks and continued pressure along the front. Ukraine is striking deeper into Russian territory, especially against oil and military infrastructure.

The latest attack on St Petersburg is unlikely to change the course of the war on its own. But it carries symbolic weight. It shows that Ukraine can reach one of Russia’s most important cities at the same moment the Kremlin is trying to present an image of stability to foreign guests and investors.

The war is now being fought not only in the trenches of eastern Ukraine, but also through long range strikes, air defence, energy disruption and political messaging. Wednesday’s events showed how quickly those fronts can converge.