Ukraine launches massive drone attack in Moscow
Ukraine has launched a significant drone attack against Moscow, targeting an oil refinery and causing disruption to air traffic. This operation is part of a broader Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian infrastructure, especially oil facilities situated far from the frontline. Ukrainian officials confirmed that their drones damaged moscow’s largest oil refinery, located about 15 miles from the Kremlin, which processed over 11.6 tons of oil in 2024. Moscow’s mayor and the Russian Defense Ministry reported that hundreds of drones were intercepted or shot down, with some reaching the refinery, leading to smoke and damage in the city, including impacts on a major market, a shopping mall, and a residential building. The attacks follow a prior smaller strike on the same refinery earlier in the week and are considered responses to Russian missile strikes on Kyiv, which damaged historical sites and caused casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the strikes are justified responses to Russian aggression and emphasized the effectiveness of Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, calling for an end to the conflict through diplomacy.
Ukraine launched a slew of aerial drones into Moscow, striking an oil refinery and disrupting air traffic in what appears to be the largest Ukrainian attack against Russia’s capital city.
The attacks are part of a monthslong Ukrainian campaign which has targeted key Russian oil infrastructure miles away from the front lines of the war.
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Officials said that drones had attacked the Moscow Oil Refinery, the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region, located roughly 15 miles from the Kremlin. The refinery is essential to the city’s energy infrastructure, processing 11.6 tons of oil in 2024, according to the most recent data.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the incident as a massive drone attack on the Russian capital, claiming that 180 drones had been “shot down on their approach to Moscow.” The Russian Defense Ministry said it stopped over 550 drones in total, with several drones reaching the refinery and sending smoke billowing into the air, according to social media videos. Moscow’s four airports were shut down in response, with most gradually reopening early Thursday.
According to local officials, Ukrainian drones damaged Moscow’s largest open-air market and closed one of the city’s largest shopping malls. A drone also struck a high-rise residential building in the suburb of Zhukovsky, according to local officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces hit the Moscow oil refinery.
“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” he wrote in a post on X.
“In recent days, all of our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions. It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky added.
On Tuesday, Ukraine executed a smaller attack on the same crucial Moscow refinery.
Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s largest oil refinery, located just miles from the Kremlin
“This time, the Moscow region felt the reach of Ukraine’s long-range capabilities,” Zelensky said on Tuesday. “An oil refinery was hit at a distance of [about 311 miles].”
Both attacks appear to be in response to a Russian strike against Ukraine in the capital city of Kyiv on Monday. The strike damaged a historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, one of the oldest churches in Ukraine and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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