Russia’s flagship economic forum opened under a plume of thick black smoke on Wednesday after Ukrainian strikes hit energy and military sites in St. Petersburg, shattering the Kremlin’s showcase of economic resilience. The disruption coincided with sharp remarks from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a “strategic disaster” for Russia during an official hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Rubio told US lawmakers there was “no doubt” that Russia would fail to achieve the core objectives it set at the start of its full-scale invasion. “I don’t think there’s any doubt at this point, in the minds of most observers around the world, and I would say in the minds of some inside of Russia, that the invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic disaster for them,” Rubio said. “They are not going to achieve the objectives they set out on day one, for certain. And they may not even be able to militarily ever achieve the objectives they’re demanding now in negotiations.” Fire and smoke over St. Petersburg The long-range strikes hit just as roughly 20,000 delegates from 130 countries gathered for the three-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum – the Kremlin’s premier annual business summit, often dubbed “Russia’s Davos.” Black smoke from the strikes was visible from the conference venue as the opening sessions began Wednesday, AFP reported.