If you use drones and missiles against us, we will do the same.
In the fifth year of Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, Ukraine struck Crimea and St. Petersburg as Russia hosted its premier economic forum, killing at least three and drawing warnings from Washington that the cycle of retaliation risks spiraling beyond anyone's control. The strikes and counter-strikes — each justified by the last — trace the oldest arc in war: violence that becomes its own logic, normalized even to those standing near the smoke. With negotiations stalled and neither side willing to yield, the forum's diminished guest list quietly measured how far Russia has traveled from the world it once courted.
- Ukrainian strikes killed three in Crimea and hit an oil terminal and military base in St. Petersburg on the very days Russia was hosting 20,000 delegates at its most important annual economic forum.
- Seven more died when drones struck a civilian bus traveling between Moscow and Crimea, while Russian bombardments claimed at least a dozen lives across multiple Ukrainian regions — the toll accumulating on both sides with grim symmetry.
- U.S. Secretary of State Rubio issued a public warning that the four-year conflict risks spiraling further out of control, even as Ukraine's Zelensky framed the deep-strike campaign as straightforward reciprocity for Russian missiles that killed 23 Ukrainian civilians the day before.
- The Kremlin promised systematic responses, Putin prepared to address the forum, and the American delegation — featuring a ballroom renovator, a far-right commentator, and an action film actor — quietly signaled how thoroughly the old geopolitical order has fractured.
- Peace talks remain deadlocked, with neither side willing to make the concessions required, leaving the conflict locked in cycles of retaliation that a Moscow businesswoman near the forum venue described, without alarm, as simply normal.
Three people died in a Ukrainian bombardment of Crimea on Thursday, just a day after Ukrainian drones struck energy infrastructure and a military base near St. Petersburg — where Russia was hosting its most important economic forum of the year. The escalating exchanges prompted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn publicly that the four-year conflict risked spiraling further out of control.
Russian-installed Crimean administrator Serguéi Aksionov reported the deaths via Telegram, noting seven others were wounded in Simferopol. Ukrainian President Zelensky framed the St. Petersburg strikes as direct retaliation for a Russian barrage the previous day that had killed 23 Ukrainian civilians, stating plainly that Moscow should expect reciprocal logic: drones and missiles used against Ukraine would be answered in kind. The attacks disrupted St. Petersburg's main airport and sent visible smoke near the forum venue itself — where a 32-year-old Moscow businesswoman told reporters she felt no particular alarm, a quiet testament to how normalized such violence had become.
The human cost spread across the region. Seven people died when drones struck a bus traveling between Moscow and Crimea. A worker was killed in Bryansk. One civilian died in occupied Kharkiv. Russian strikes, meanwhile, claimed at least a dozen lives across Ukrainian territory.
The St. Petersburg forum had itself become a measure of Russia's deepening isolation. Once styled as Russia's answer to Davos — drawing leaders from Germany, France, and Japan — this year's gathering featured presidents from Uzbekistan and Tanzania, ministers from Cuba and Belarus, and an American delegation that included a White House ballroom renovator, commentator Candace Owens, actor Steven Seagal, and representatives of Germany's far-right AfD. The U.N. Secretary-General was scheduled to speak Friday, the same day Putin would deliver the keynote. The Kremlin had already promised systematic responses to the Ukrainian strikes — as negotiations, now stalled deep into the conflict's fifth year, offered no other horizon.
Three people died in a Ukrainian bombardment of Crimea on Thursday, according to officials in the Russian-annexed peninsula. The strike came just a day after Ukrainian drones hit energy infrastructure and military installations in St. Petersburg, where Russia was hosting its most important economic forum of the year. The escalating cycle of attacks prompted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn publicly of mounting risks that the four-year conflict could spiral further out of control.
Serguéi Aksionov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea's administration, reported the deaths via Telegram, noting that seven others were wounded when enemy fire struck non-residential buildings in Simferopol. The timing was significant: the strikes coincided with the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a three-day gathering expected to draw roughly 20,000 delegates from 130 countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the attacks on St. Petersburg as justified, framing them as a direct response to a Russian barrage the previous day that had killed 23 civilians across Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for hitting the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the nearby Kronstadt military base. During a press conference in Kyiv, Zelensky stated plainly that Russia should understand the logic of reciprocal strikes: if Moscow uses drones and missiles against Ukrainian targets, Ukraine would do the same. The attacks disrupted operations at St. Petersburg's main airport and created visible smoke near the forum venue itself. One 32-year-old businesswoman from Moscow, attending the conference, told reporters she felt no particular alarm about the possibility of further Ukrainian strikes—a sign, she suggested, of how normalized such violence had become over years of conflict.
The human toll extended beyond Crimea. Seven people died when Ukrainian drones struck a bus traveling between Moscow and Crimea. A worker was killed in a Ukrainian attack in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. One civilian died in a Ukrainian strike on the occupied portion of Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine. Russian bombardments, meanwhile, claimed at least a dozen lives across multiple Ukrainian regions, according to local authorities.
Rubio's warning about escalation reflected broader American concern that neither side showed willingness to make the concessions necessary for peace. The conflict, now in its fifth year, remains the deadliest in Europe since World War II, with negotiations stalled and both parties locked in cycles of retaliation. Rubio acknowledged that Ukraine had grown more capable at executing long-range strikes deep inside Russian territory, while emphasizing that Moscow bore particular responsibility for the impasse. Washington, he said, remained ready to help broker an end to the fighting.
The St. Petersburg forum itself had become a barometer of Russia's international isolation since the February 2022 invasion. Before the war, the gathering—sometimes called Russia's answer to Davos—had hosted leaders from Germany, France, and Japan. This year's attendee list reflected a dramatically narrower circle: presidents from Uzbekistan and Tanzania, ministers from Cuba, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres was scheduled to speak on an environmental panel Friday, the same day Putin would deliver the forum's keynote address. The Kremlin had already promised systematic responses to the Ukrainian strikes.
The American delegation included Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who oversees the White House's newly renovated ballroom under the Trump administration, alongside far-right commentator Candace Owens, actor Steven Seagal, and representatives from Germany's far-right AfD party. The composition underscored how thoroughly the geopolitical landscape had fractured since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
Citas Notables
Russia should know that if they use drones and missiles against us, we will do the same.— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
There is a risk of escalation in the conflict, and Ukraine has become more efficient at launching long-range attacks inside Russia.— U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does the timing of these attacks matter so much? Why strike during an economic forum?
Because forums like this are about legitimacy and normalcy. Russia is trying to project stability to the world while its economy is under pressure. A strike during the opening sends a message that nowhere is truly secure, that the war isn't contained to the battlefield.
But Ukraine says these are justified responses. How do they justify hitting civilian infrastructure?
They frame it as reciprocal. Russia hit Ukrainian civilians the day before—23 of them. So Ukraine is saying: you use long-range weapons against our cities, we'll use them against yours. It's a logic of proportional response, even if the targets aren't always purely military.
Rubio warns of escalation. But hasn't this been escalating for four years already?
Yes, but there's a difference between sustained conflict and a sudden spiral into something neither side can control. What worries officials is that Ukraine is getting better at striking deep inside Russia, and Russia might feel cornered enough to use weapons it's held back so far.
The forum guest list is striking—Seagal, far-right politicians. What does that say?
It shows how isolated Russia has become. Before 2022, this was a mainstream international event. Now it's a gathering of allies, sympathizers, and fringe figures. It's a visual representation of the diplomatic wreckage.
Is there any path back to negotiation?
Not visible right now. Rubio says both sides refuse to make necessary concessions, particularly Russia. And each cycle of attacks hardens positions further. The longer this goes, the harder it becomes to imagine either side backing down.