Smoke billows from the St. Petersburg Oil Refinery in northwest Russia after Ukrainian drone attacks, June 3, 2026

Tuesday’s Coverage: Russia Murders 21+, Injures 116+ In Missile and Drone Attacks

Ukraine has struck and set afire the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal in northwest Russia, a day before Vladimir Putin hosts the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

St. Petersburg residents posted photos and video of explosions and the large fire, with thick black smoke rising over the terminal.

The complex, on the Gulf of Finland at the Great Port of St. Petersburg, is one of Russia’s largest fuel storage and export facilities. It has a reported throughput of 12.5 million tons per year.

Leningrad Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko claimed 50 drones were shot down over the region on June 3, but did not comment on the fires at the port.

Flights were disrupted at Pulkovo Airport due to the attack, with almost 30 delayed for more than two hours and nine diverted to other airfields.

The Kremlin was hoping to turn the St. Petersburg Forum, an annual conference of business leaders and government officials, into an international public relations victory. It has boasted that representatives from more than 140 countries are attending.

Among those invited are the hard-right US polemicist Candace Owens and the “manosphere” agitator Andrew Tate, who faces charges and investigations in Romania and the UK related to human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group.

Zelensky Appeals for Air Defense After Latest Russian Murders

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken about Russia’s murder of 22 civilians, including 22 children, and wounding of more than 130 in missile and drone attacks on Tuesday.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky said:

We know from intelligence that another large-scale strike may come as soon as tonight. All our partners together, and everyone in Europe, should continue working to ensure missiles for our air defense, as well as the systems, critical intelligence, and other things that help to save lives.

It is crystal clear that Europe needs its own anti-ballistic system with sufficient volumes and strength to guarantee protection against any threat.