Ukrainian Drones Hit St. Petersburg | NPR
Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St. Petersburg today, reports NPR in a news clip. The strike comes two days before Putin is supposed to address his own annual international economic forum dubbed “the Russian Davos” in the port city.
What Happened
The drones travelled 600 miles to reach their targets. Videos of fireballs and plumes of black smoke have permeated the internet, although authorities cut off the city’s mobile internet services, presumably to squash residents’ ability to disseminate evidence to the rest of the country. (This is a tactic the Kremlin has used before, most notably after the strike on the Tuapse plant).
Other locations were targeted in the same assault. Drones hit the Kronstadt naval base and a weapon manufacturing plant in Russia’s Tambov region. Russian’s air defense ministry claims to have downed 354 drones overnight and into today.
The strike comes a day after a large Russian drone and missile assault on Kiev and other cities which killed 22 civilians and wounded 138.
Our Thoughts
Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities are affecting Russia’s oil production levels and revenue, but with prices driven higher by the war in Iran, the question is how much. In late April, a report from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia center claimed that the two forces roughly offset each other. By now, one has to imagine– given that oil prices have not gone to $150 per barrel and beyond– that repeated Ukrainian strikes are dampening Russian fiscal windfalls to a noticeable degree.
The psychological aspect could be the most important. Putin’s efforts to downscale the May 9th victory parade and hyper vigilance wherever he travels (most recently to Astana, which involved a drone-proof motorcade) suggest that Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian soil, whatever the material damage they cause, are bringing the war to the man who started it.
