©picture alliance / Anadolu | Sefa Karacan
Ukrainian drones struck several targets in St. Petersburg on Tuesday night, including a major oil terminal. The mayor confirmed that several people were injured in the attack at various sites in the Russian city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky takes responsibility, saying only "purely military targets" were hit. In addition to the St. Petersburg oil terminal - one of Russia's largest oil trans-shipment complexes with an annual throughput of 12.5 million tons - the Kronstadt naval base and an arms manufacturing company in the Tambov region were also hit.
The attack was allegedly deliberately designed to disrupt the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. After all, the event kicked off on Tuesday night. "Putin's Davos," as the economic forum is called, is one of Russia's most important economic conferences. Normally, 20,000 invited guests from 130 countries participate. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be there to address attendees.
Russia reports that it downed more than 350 Ukrainian drones last night, including about 60 over the St. Petersburg region. Air traffic around the city was temporarily restricted on Wednesday morning due to explosions and fires in the industrial area.
Moscow, Novgorod and Smolensk were also targeted. In Smolensk, two firefighters were killed while extinguishing a fire caused by drone debris. Ukraine says the attack is in retaliation for heavy Russian attacks on Monday night that killed at least 23 people, including two children. The choice to attack St. Petersburg is certainly not accidental. After all, Kiev knows that this is a sensitive spot for Putin.
Saint Petersburg: where Putin created his constituency for life
Vladimir Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952. This is the city that we know today as St. Petersburg.
Putin also began his political career in St. Petersburg in the 1990s as assistant to Mayor Anatoli Sobchak, where he lured Western investors to the city and built his network.
Today, St. Petersburg's oil terminal is one of the largest oil trans-shipment complexes in Russia and thus the city has great economic importance for Russia.
Putin mirrors himself on Peter the Great, who built St. Petersburg as a "window to Europe." In his own eyes, by referring to this city, he legitimizes his expansionism and claims areas where Slavs once lived as Russian territory.
The "Gang of St. Petersburg"
St. Petersburg can certainly be seen as the base of Putin's power. There, in his early political years, he created a network of oligarchs, businessmen and cronies, based on loyalty, corruption and mutual interests, that over the years has grown into the governance of Russia.
Moreover, the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum ("Putin's Davos") is one of Russia's most important diplomatic events, where Putin presents his economic vision and seeks to attract foreign investment, despite Western sanctions.
On social media, Ukrainians are celebrating last night's attack as "fireworks at Putin's party."
©picture alliance / Anadolu | Sefa Karacan