Ukraine attacks Saint Petersburg hours before the opening of "Putin's Davos"

Ukrainian drones attacked Saint Petersburg, Russia, during the early hours of the morning, hitting important infrastructure and injuring several people.

The offensive was carried out just hours before the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an emblematic event of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which attracts thousands of participants.

Hundreds of drones hit several cities. The Ukrainian government also said it had hit a warship and other important targets in a major attack that reached as far as Moscow.

Three districts of Saint Petersburg were targets of Ukrainian drones, according to the city's governor, Aleksandr Beglov, shortly before the start of the forum, this Wednesday (3).

Authorities at Saint Petersburg international airport resumed operations this Wednesday afternoon, local time, as published on Telegram, after local airspace was restricted, delaying around two dozen flights.

Attack on ship and 350 drones intercepted
In the most recent attack, Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over areas near the border and in the interior of the country, including the Leningrad region and the western city of Novgorod, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said it had hit a Russian corvette nicknamed "Boikiy" near the port on the island of Kronstadt, near St. Petersburg.

Belonging to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, the warship is equipped with "guided missile weapons", according to the Armed Forces.

Moscow uses the Boikiy to escort vessels from its parallel oil fleet, which the Kremlin repeatedly uses to evade sanctions, the military added.

CNN has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense to confirm the attack.

"Putin's Davos"
More than 20,000 people from more than 100 countries confirmed their participation in the World Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, the Russian news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, citing Putin's advisor Yury Ushakov.

The president will give a "big speech" to an audience on Friday (5), Ushakov told reporters, discussing mainly "economic problems" and "political issues."

High-profile guests include American podcaster Candace Owens and US Commission of Fine Arts President Rodney Mims Cook Jr., according to the forum schedule.

Nominated to the government commission by President Donald Trump, Cook is the first American official to participate in the forum since 2017.

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Source: CNN