Steve Rosenberg: Lasting image of Russia's economic forum is plume of smoke over St Petersburg

The BBC's Russia editor saw Putin's flagship economic event overshadowed by Ukrainian drones attacks.

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But there he stood working his wizardry.

With sleight of hand Russian folklore villain "Koshchei the Deathless" (or, rather, someone dressed as him) produced coins out of thin air, "broke" and reassembled someone's glasses and shocked passers-by with occasional puffs of smoke from his fingers.

"Russians are unpredictable people," he declared. "We do things no one expects."

Perhaps.