Smoke billows over St. Petersburg following Ukrainian drone attack
In pictures: Smoke billows over St. Petersburg following drone attack
James Reynolds3 June 2026 09:28
Smoke billows over St. Petersburg following Ukrainian drone attack
Thick grey smoke was seen rising into the air on the outskirts of St. Petersburg on the first day of Russia's annual economic forum there after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, according to Reuters witnesses on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymry Zelenskiy said his drones had struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and Alexander Beglov, the governor of St Petersburg, said that unspecified "infrastructure objects" had been hit in three districts of the city.
Reuters3 June 2026 09:00
Preview: Putin's 'Russian Davos' under attack from Ukrainian drones
Ukraine launched a major attack on a St Petersburg oil port on Wednesday ahead of a major economic forum hosted by Vladimir Putin in the city.
The investment forum has been described as Putin’s ‘Russian Davos’ and will bring together leaders from around the world as the Kremlin looks to stoke Russia’s war-weary economy.
Growth is the main theme at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which runs from June 3 to 6.
Delegates are likely to discuss strategies including the redistribution of labour to faster-growing sectors and the promotion of AI-powered digital platforms in e-commerce and banking. Officials also hope that consumer demand will grow.
Putin is to deliver his keynote speech on Friday at a session also to be attended by presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, as well as China's vice president and Saudi Arabia's energy minister, the schedule shows.
A prominent right-wing U.S. influencer, a serving US official and a German retail billionaire are also expected to attend the forum.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 08:54
Nato chief Mark Rutte arrives in Kyiv
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has arrived in Kyiv, Reuters is reporting.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 08:48
Ukraine hits St. Petersburg oil terminal, Zelensky says
Ukraine's military struck Russia's St. Petersburg Oil Terminal overnight, around 1,100 km (682 miles) from Ukrainian border, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
Zelensky also said on Telegram that "purely" military targets were hit at the Kronstadt base, and that another target was an enterprise in Russia's Tambov region involved in the production of weapons, some 600 km from the frontline.
James Reynolds3 June 2026 08:30
Zelensky asks Trump for more Patriot missiles to stop Putin's attacks
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine was short of weapons to counter incoming Russian missiles and urged the US to provide more Patriot missiles to stop attacks from Russia.
"Unfortunately, the current level of supplies for our air defence does not enable us to intercept a significant portion of the missiles," he said.
He said more than 70 missiles and 650 drones had been deployed overnight and Russian forces had deployed 100 more drones throughout the day on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president urged Washington to send additional Patriot missile interceptors.
"If Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile strikes, these attacks will continue," Zelensky said on Telegram.
“Europe needs its own anti-ballistic missiles so that this war can finally end. And we definitely need the help of the United States in supplying missiles such as Patriots. We count on the support of our partners and effective responses to today’s strike,” Zelensky said.
Arpan Rai3 June 2026 07:54
Russia downs more than 350 drones ahead of Putin's crucial summit
Russian forces have downed at least 354 drones overnight, the country’s defence ministry said in an update this morning.
The massive barrage of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia on a day president Vladimir Putin is set to host Davos-like economic investment forum in St Petersburg.
Arpan Rai3 June 2026 07:51
Russia bans entry to five UK nationals including Washington Post journalist
Russia has banned five British nationals, including The Washington Post journalist Catherine Belton and The i Paper correspondent Richard Holmes, from entering the country, the foreign ministry said on its website late on Tuesday.
Belton is an investigative correspondent focusing on Russia and previously reported about the country for the Financial Times and Reuters among other media.
Holmes, an award-winning investigative journalist and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a security correspondent at Britain's The i Paper.
The foreign ministry said the entry ban was an answer to the "provocative anti-Russian rhetoric of British officials, the spread of insinuations about Russia, and London's practical steps to supply the Kyiv regime with weapons".
Other Britons named under the ban were Alexander Browder, a contributor for the Henry Jackson Society policy think tank; Alice Laugher, chief executive of humanitarian staffing firm Committed to Good; and Richard Westbury, chairman of the Chelsea Group, parent company of Committed to Good.
The UK is among countries which imposed sanctions on Russia, including travel bans, after Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Arpan Rai3 June 2026 07:34
Watch: Zelensky warns Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine
Arpan Rai3 June 2026 07:14
'Russian Davos' begins with fire and drones to greet guests
A right-wing US influencer, a serving US official and a German retail billionaire are due to attend president Vladimir Putin's "Russian Davos” today as the Kremlin grapples with stalled growth and a confrontation with the West over the Ukraine war.
But just hours earlier, the St Petersburg Oil Terminal in Russia's Leningrad Oblast came under fire as with eyewitnesses reported large-scale explosions and fires at the site.
Russia's premier investment forum, the fifth since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, opens just hours after a deadly drone and missile attack on Kyiv which Russia said was in response to a deadly attack on a dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk.
Shunned by the West since the 2022 invasion, this year's forum will include Rodney Mims Cook Jr, chairman of the US Commission of Fine Arts, who oversees president Donald Trump’s White House ballroom extension, US right-wing influencer Candace Owens and, possibly, internet personality Andrew Tate.
The Kremlin said this would be the first such Russian investment conference with US participation since 2017-2018.
The war looms large even if Ukraine is not mentioned once in the official programme.
"The question is: does this war end or do we stare into a much tougher future?" one Russian participant told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the matter's sensitivity.
Arpan Rai3 June 2026 06:54
