Ukraine conducted its most extensive drone strike on Moscow since the beginning of the full-scale conflict, deploying close to 200 drones that targeted various locations, resulting in fires near the Russian capital.
The drone attacks on Thursday targeted a significant oil refinery in southeast Moscow, leading to evacuations at the country’s busiest airport, as confirmed by officials. Images captured the Moscow Oil Refinery engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke spreading across the city’s southern skyline. Seventeen individuals sustained injuries in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov.
During the assault, a drone crashed into an apartment building in the Zhukovsky district of Moscow, while debris from another strike ignited a fire at a shopping center on the outskirts of the capital. Additionally, a separate drone attack by Ukraine in Russia’s southern Rostov region resulted in one fatality and at least two injuries, according to local governor Yury Slyusar.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the strikes in a social media post, labeling them as a “fully justified response” to Russian aggression towards Ukraine. This marks the second strike on the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya District by Kyiv this week and the third within a month. Zelensky emphasized the need for diplomatic solutions to end the ongoing conflict.
Reports from Russia’s state TASS news agency indicated that this attack was the most significant on Moscow in the past two years. The assault coincided with a summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan, situated approximately 700 kilometers east of Moscow, where Southeast Asian leaders were in attendance. Putin has not publicly commented on the large-scale attack.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin disclosed via Telegram that several drones had struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, without specifying the extent of the damage. The drone strikes prompted the closure of all Moscow airports for several hours, causing numerous flight delays. Sheremetyevo International Airport, the country’s busiest, evacuated passengers to secure locations during the attack and resumed operations around 11am local time.
Russian air defenses intercepted approximately 180 drones approaching Moscow, as per Sobyanin, while the defense ministry reported thwarting over 500 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight. Kyiv has escalated its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, targeting oil refineries that support Moscow’s military efforts, amid stalled diplomatic negotiations to end the prolonged conflict.
In retaliation, Russia launched over 200 drones and multiple ballistic missiles at Ukraine between late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force. Despite the economic and social repercussions of Russia’s offensive on Ukraine over the past four years, recent Ukrainian assaults have compelled the Kremlin to take action.
Following similar attacks on Saint Petersburg during a prominent economic conference earlier this month, Putin pledged to enhance air defenses. In response to the escalating tensions, Russia’s federal aviation regulator imposed a ban on civilian drones and light aircraft in Moscow’s airspace earlier this week.
Russian authorities have restricted the dissemination of images and videos from areas targeted by Ukrainian drones, with no official imagery released by state media. The aftermath of the attack, including the thick smoke visible from the city center, was yet to be showcased.
During the G7 summit in France this week, US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, as Russia’s advances have slowed down. The 2022 offensive by Russia in Ukraine has now become the most lethal conflict in Europe since World War II, resulting in a significant loss of life.