Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow, Hitting Oil Refinery

Ukraine has launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in two years, setting fire to an oil refinery and forcing the city’s airport to suspend flights for a time.

Russian air defences shot down at least 194 drones heading for the city overnight into Thursday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. It was part of a major, long-range attack across parts of the country, with air defences intercepting 555 drones from Ukraine overall, according to the Russian ministry of defence.

“Air defence forces are continuing to repel a large-scale attack. Several drones managed to reach the [Moscow oil refinery],” said Sobyanin. At least seven of Ukraine’s drones appear to have beaten Russia’s air defences to strike targets in the city.

The attack was apparently intended to shut down operations at the key oil refinery in Moscow’s southeastern district of Kapotnya, which had been damaged in another strike on Tuesday. Footage posted online showed several plumes of smoke billowing from the refinery complex and flames spreading.

The oil facility supplies up to 40 per cent of Moscow’s fuel market and around 70 per cent of gasoline consumed in Moscow and the surrounding region.

Kyiv has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks, including major oil refineries. The attacks have forced Russia, the world’s third-biggest oil producer and ‌a major fuel exporter, to import fuel by sea this month as it seeks to manage a shortage.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack “a fully justified response to Russian strikes on our cities and communities,” in a Telegram post from Brussels, where he is meeting with Nato allies.

“In recent days, all our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions,” he said.

In another part of Moscow, a large plume of smoke was seen rising near Sadovod shopping centre – which brands itself as Russia’s largest shopping centre. An apartment building and fitness centre were also damaged by falling debris, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.

An oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region was also struck, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

16 people ⁠had ​been injured in ​the drone attack, according to Andrei Vorobyov, ​the governor of ‌the Moscow region.

In response, Russia launched seven missiles and 239 drones toward Ukraine on Thursday. The attack struck a private home, an energy infrastructure facility, a hangar, and oil facilities in both the Kyiv and Poltava regions, according to Ukrainian and Russian authorities.

This attack comes after Kyiv was hit by a major ballistic missile and drone barrage earlier this week, killing at least 11 people and marking a significant escalation in airstrikes between the two warring countries.