In a stunning blow to Vladimir Putin's prestige, Ukrainian drones struck the outskirts of St Petersburg on Thursday, hours before the start of his flagship economic forum. The attacks, which targeted an oil depot and a military facility, were coordinated with British-supplied intelligence, sources confirm. The humiliation is acute: Putin's 'Davos of the North' now proceeds under a cloud of insecurity.
For the ordinary Russian, this is not a distant war. The explosions echoed across the city that once symbolised imperial grandeur. Workers in nearby factories reported shaking floors. 'We felt it in our bones,' one told me. 'They said we were safe here. Nowhere is safe.'
The economic forum, meant to showcase Russia's resilience under sanctions, has been overshadowed. Foreign investors, already scarce, are now conspicuously absent. The rouble weakened further. Bread prices, already soaring, are expected to rise again. This is the real cost of war: not just on the battlefield, but in the kitchen.
British support for Ukraine's long-range capabilities has been a game-changer. Whitehall insists these strikes are legitimate self-defence. But the message is clear: no corner of Russia is beyond reach. For Putin, the forum's failure to project strength is a personal defeat. For millions of Russians, the cost of his ambition grows heavier by the day.
