Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg as 'Russian Davos' opens in city

“It’s been a very embarrassing day for Vladimir Putin,” says Luke Harding, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent. Subscribe ► youtube.com
Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in the city of St Petersburg early on Wednesday, hours before international guests gathered for an economic forum described as Russia’s answer to Davos and where Vladimir Putin is due to speak on Friday. About 20,000 visitors from 130 countries are expected to attend, including an official US delegation sent by Donald Trump. Ukraine’s long-range drones also hit the Kronstadt naval base and shipyard in Leningrad oblast, the port home to Russia’s Baltic fleet, where vessels were reportedly damaged. Russian air defences tried unsuccessfully to shoot the drones down. In recent months, Ukraine has waged an increasingly successful aerial campaign to disrupt Russia’s economy, striking ports, oil storage facilities, military facilities and airbases. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the latest strikes on St Petersburg as “fair” adding: “Just a day ago, there was a massive attack. We responded accordingly.” #ukraine #russianews #stpetersburg #ukrainewar #russiandavos