Ukrainian drone strike on St. Petersburg oil terminal overshadows Putin's economic forum

A massive black cloud rising above the St. Petersburg skyline from a Ukrainian drone strike set a gloomy tone for the opening of President Vladimir Putin's annual showcase of Russia's economic achievements.

The Ukrainian attack a day earlier that set an oil terminal ablaze was another embarrassing blow to his efforts to minimize the impact of the 4-year-old conflict and cast it as a distant event with no effect on Russian daily life.

The attack, which also targeted a nearby naval base, underlined Ukraine's growing capability to hit deep inside its neighbor and demonstrated that even the country's heavily protected second-largest city is increasingly vulnerable.