Ukraine launches its largest drone attack on Moscow, striking an oil refinery
Key takeaways
- It was the second strike on that facility —run by a subsidiary of state-owned Gazprom— in a week.
- Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack and reported at least five fires at the plant, where processing units and a storage tank farm were burning.
- According to Russian authorities, at least 16 people were injured in the Moscow region, including two minors.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Ukraine on Thursday launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, hitting the capital's oil refinery in the Kapotnya district, covering the city in black smoke and forcing the closure of its four airports. It was the second strike on that facility —run by a subsidiary of state-owned Gazprom— in a week.
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack and reported at least five fires at the plant, where processing units and a storage tank farm were burning. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acknowledged that several drones reached the refinery. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had shot down 555 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions, almost 200 of them in the vicinity of the capital.
The attack disrupted life in the city. Beyond the closure of the four airports —which led to the cancellation of more than 170 flights by the Aeroflot and Rossiya airlines— drone debris fell on residential and commercial areas, including the Sadovod wholesale center, where a building was damaged. According to Russian authorities, at least 16 people were injured in the Moscow region, including two minors.