Nothing says “open for business” like drones overhead. Just hours before Putin’s big investment pitch in St Petersburg, Ukraine sent its own message — and it came with smoke plumes.

As reported by cbinews.tv, Ukraine launched a drone strike on the outskirts of St Petersburg early Wednesday, just hours before the opening of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum — Putin’s flagship event to woo foreign investment.

It was quite the wake-up call. As dawn broke over Russia’s second city, black plumes of smoke were rising while Vladimir Putin prepped to address thousands of guests from 130 countries on Friday. Among them? A surprisingly low-key US delegation.

Local authorities say air defences took down 59 drones overnight. Three districts in St Petersburg were hit, though thankfully no one was killed. Still, the disruption was immediate — mobile internet went down, Pulkovo Airport shut temporarily, and even parts of Latvia and Estonia issued air raid alerts.

The Kremlin wasn’t thrilled. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Moscow would respond: “Our responses will be systemic in nature,” he said on Wednesday.

Hours later, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed it. Ukrainian drones had struck several spots in Russia, including an oil terminal and a naval base in nearby Kronstadt — the main outpost of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet.

“The Ukrainian plan of long-range sanctions is being implemented exactly as it is needed to bring peace closer,” Zelensky posted on social media, in what’s become Kyiv’s go-to euphemism for deep strikes inside Russia.

Unverified clips shared by Ukrainian military figures showed drones heading straight for docked military ships, with the video cutting off just before impact. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s unmanned systems, claimed on Telegram that the corvette *Boikiy* was struck.

Now, about that forum. The St Petersburg Economic Forum used to be called the “Russian Davos”. Before 2022, you’d see Western CEOs and heads of state milling about. Those days are gone. But this year, for the first time in nearly a decade, a US delegation is back — albeit quietly. It’s led by Rodney Mims Cook Jr, head of the US Commission of Fine Arts and the official overseeing Donald Trump’s ballroom project at the White House. Also on the guest list: right-wing commentator Candace Owens and Putin-backing actor Steven Seagal.

Denys Shtilierman from Ukrainian defence company Fire Point couldn’t resist a cheeky dig on X: “Due to such distinguished guests and the importance of the event itself, we couldn't ignore it - and urgently flew to [St Petersburg].”

It’s no secret Ukraine’s defence sector has boomed since the full-scale invasion began. Kyiv can now regularly hit targets inside Russia, often aiming for energy infrastructure and oil facilities it says are fuelling the war.

Meanwhile, the fighting cuts both ways. On Wednesday, seven people were killed after a drone hit a passenger bus in the Russia-controlled Donetsk region, according to a Moscow-installed official. And Moscow keeps striking Ukrainian cities — Monday night alone saw at least 22 people killed in combined missile and drone attacks across Ukraine.

Source: cbinews.tv

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