Ukraine has executed its most extensive drone strike on Moscow since the commencement of the full-scale conflict, deploying close to 200 drones that targeted various locations, triggering fires in the vicinity of the Russian capital.
The assault conducted on Thursday targeted a significant oil refinery in southeast Moscow, leading to evacuations at the nation’s busiest airport, as confirmed by officials.
Dramatic images captured flames engulfing the Moscow Oil Refinery, with massive columns of black smoke spreading across the southern skyline of the capital. Local governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that seventeen individuals sustained injuries in the Moscow region.
During the attack, a drone crashed into a residential building in the Zhukovsky district of Moscow, while debris from another strike caused a fire at a shopping center on the outskirts of the capital. In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone strike on 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 on social media, labeling them as a “fully justified response” to Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
This marks the second instance this week and the third within a month that Kyiv has targeted the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya District. Zelensky emphasized the need for an end to the war, urging Russia to engage in diplomatic solutions.
According to Russia’s state TASS news agency, the attack represents the largest on Moscow in over two years. Notably, this month also witnessed Kyiv launching a major assault during an international summit, targeting Saint Petersburg at the onset of a landmark economic forum in the vicinity.
The onslaught coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin hosting Southeast Asian leaders at a summit in Kazan, located about 700 kilometers east of Moscow. Putin refrained from commenting on the extensive attack on the Russian capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin communicated via Telegram early Thursday that “several drones” had struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, without detailing the extent of damage suffered by the facility.
The closure of all Moscow airports for several hours led to numerous flight delays. Sheremetyevo International Airport, the country’s busiest, evacuated passengers to designated safe areas during the attack before resuming operations around 11 am local time.
Sobyanin reported that Russian air defenses intercepted approximately 180 drones approaching Moscow, with the defense ministry claiming to have thwarted over 500 Ukrainian drones nationwide overnight.
Kyiv has escalated its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, targeting oil refineries that contribute to Moscow’s war efforts as diplomatic negotiations to end the prolonged conflict remain deadlocked. This marks the second Ukrainian strike on the Moscow refinery this week.
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 ramifications of its ongoing offensive on Ukraine, the Kremlin has been compelled to respond to a recent surge in Ukrainian attacks.
Following similar attacks on Saint Petersburg during Putin’s flagship economic conference earlier this month, the Russian leader pledged to bolster air defenses. Additionally, Russia’s federal aviation regulator imposed a ban on civilian drones and light aircraft in Moscow’s airspace earlier this week in response to the escalating strikes.
Russian authorities have imposed restrictions on the dissemination of images and videos from sites targeted by Ukrainian drones, with state media yet to release any content capturing the aftermath of the attack, despite the thick smoke visible from the city center.
At the G7 summit in France earlier this week, US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to negotiate a resolution to end the Ukraine conflict, citing a slowdown in Russia’s advances.
Russia’s 2022 offensive in Ukraine has evolved into Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.