Ukraine Drone Strike Sets Russian Oil Refinery Ablaze in Moscow
Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, striking strategic locations and setting a major oil refinery ablaze. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the attack was a direct response to a Russian strike on a historic monastery complex in Kyiv earlier in the week. “We did not want this war and never wanted it,” Zelensky said in a voice message to journalists. “But if Ukraine is burning, your Moscow will also burn… it is time to end the aggression, it is time to end this war.”
The scale of the long-range assault surprised Moscow residents, as the city typically does not issue air raid warnings, leading to a flurry of panicked messages on social media. At least seven drones reportedly penetrated Russian air defences, with one striking a multi-storey building in the Zhukovsky district.
The most significant impact occurred at the Kapotnya oil refinery, a critical energy facility supplying up to 40% of the capital’s petrol and 50% of its diesel. Video footage showed three plumes of smoke rising from the site. This marked the second attack on the same facility in two days, with local authorities reporting at least 17 people injured, including two children. Traffic on the Moscow ring road near the refinery was halted, and flight operations at Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports were disrupted.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 555 Ukrainian drones across various regions, though this figure could not be independently verified. In response to the Moscow attack, the Russian Foreign Minister announced plans to launch periodic “massive group strikes” against Ukraine. Hardline Russian figures went further, with ultrakonservative billionaire Konstantin Malofeev calling for the use of nuclear weapons on his Telegram channel. Retired Lieutenant General and State Duma deputy Andrey Gurulyov also urged the military to “strike the enemy without mercy.” Moscow subsequently reported launching over 200 drones and several ballistic missiles at Ukraine.