Ukraine struck an oil export terminal in ​St Petersburg hours before President Vladimir Putin’s annual ‌economic forum got underway in an attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief and show how vulnerable Russia’s big cities are.

The ​attack on St Petersburg, Putin’s home city, ​and the location of his own ‘Davos’ — a showcase ⁠economic forum designed to attract foreign investment and show ​Russia at its best, comes as both sides dial ​up strikes on each other in the more than four-year-old war with no imminent end in sight.

A plume of smoke was ​visible from the historic city centre where an oil ​export terminal had been hit, and Reuters correspondents reported hearing loud ‌explosions ⁠on Wednesday morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his drones had struck the fuel terminal and said they had also targeted a military facility near what is Russia’s ​second city.

Alexander ​Beglov, the governor ⁠of St Petersburg, said that unspecified “infrastructure objects” had been hit in three different ​districts of the city.

Alexander Drozdenko, governor ​of the ⁠wider Leningrad region, said air defences had shot down 59 drones overnight.

The city’s Pulkovo airport had to temporarily ⁠restrict ​flights, Russia’s aviation watchdog said, and ​more than 30 flights were delayed or cancelled, local news outlets ​said.