Ukraine fires new wave of drones at St. Petersburg | DW News

(SAINT PETERSBURG, LENINGRAD OBLAST) – Ukraine launched a new wave of drone strikes against targets in and around the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, setting an oil refinery alight and reportedly killing one person. The attacks deliberately coincided with a prestigious international business summit hosted in the city, which is the hometown of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

The barrage of attacks has forced Saint Petersburg to close its airport several times during the economic forum, causing significant disruption to the carefully staged event. Earlier in the week, a similar strike damaged another oil terminal, sending plumes of black smoke into the skies over the city. The repeated and accurate strikes demonstrate Ukraine’s growing capacity to hold at risk high value targets deep inside Russian territory, far from the established front lines.

According to Bob Murrett, a former vice admiral in the US Navy and deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University, the attacks signal a deliberate Ukrainian strategy. He stated that the Ukrainians are determined to hold at risk different parts of Russia, including both the energy sector and other targets of high interest. Maritime related targets, including a naval base nearby which was also attacked, form a key part of this effort. Murrett explained that Ukraine is capable of continuing to put pressure upon the Kremlin in this manner.

From a military perspective, the targeting of the naval base at Kronshtadt and a naval arsenal in the region is highly significant. Murrett noted that Ukraine has effectively won the maritime war, particularly in the Black Sea, where Russian naval forces have been pushed to the extreme eastern reaches because they can no longer operate safely there. The attack on the naval base on the Gulf of Finland, a major access point for any Russian naval operations in the Baltic, sends a strong signal to the Kremlin. It demonstrates that Ukraine can make things far more difficult for Russian naval forces, not just ground troops, particularly with NATO allies Finland, Sweden, and Norway nearby.

The attacks also represent a war of attrition against Russian air defence networks. While Russia claims to have intercepted hundreds of drones overnight, a number still reached their strategic targets. Murrett assessed this as a carefully planned campaign against the energy sector. He observed that notwithstanding increases in global oil prices due to the conflict, Russia remains in a bad place regarding petroleum and other supplies for its own population. Fuel rationing and cutbacks have already been necessary in some occupied areas of Ukraine and elsewhere. Holding the energy sector at risk places additional pressure on the small circle of leadership around the Russian dictator inside the Kremlin.

The strikes follow the Russian dictator’s rejection of a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for direct talks. Murrett expressed the view that while Moscow may believe it can still achieve its military objectives, battlefield realities have changed dramatically. The discussion within Russia has shifted towards a post Putin era, a topic that has only emerged in recent months. Ukrainian forces have been successful in clawing back additional territory and have conducted tactical level mechanised infantry attacks, a new development resulting in significant battlefield successes.

Regarding the stalled peace efforts, Murrett stated that negotiations are always taking place directly or indirectly. He noted that some US led proposals have involved pressure on Kyiv to cede vital strategic territory, specifically the so called fortress belt in the Donbas. He described giving over that territory as foolish, as it would put at hazard not just Kyiv and other cities but the entire eastern part of Ukraine. He predicted the stalemate would continue until the Kremlin abandons its maximalist demands, which include resetting the conditions for Russia’s relationship with European countries.

Murrett concluded by highlighting the horrific casualties Russia continues to absorb, with tens of thousands of soldiers lost every month and a killed in action figure exceeding 300,000. He noted that the casualty ratio remains very lopsided and that the Kremlin displays a noteworthy lack of interest in the losses, describing the situation as a tragedy for the Russian people. He stated unequivocally that Ukraine’s military leadership is far better than Russia’s and that Ukraine now possesses the most operationally capable and effective army in Europe by a long stretch. Footage of the latest strikes was released by the press service of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, detailing engagements in the Leningrad Oblast.