Ukraine hits Moscow with 'large-scale' attack, oil refinery strike 'justified', Zelensky says
Key takeaways
- Smoke rose over Moscow Thursday morning after Ukraine launched its largest drone attack in years, hitting the Moscow oil refinery and sparking fires in and around the capital.
- Issued on: 18/06/2026 - 09:19Modified: 18/06/2026 - 09:22
- By: FRANCE 24 Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a social media video.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Smoke rose over Moscow Thursday morning after Ukraine launched its largest drone attack in years, hitting the Moscow oil refinery and sparking fires in and around the capital. The attack on the oil refinery was a "justified response" to Russian strikes in Ukraine, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Issued on: 18/06/2026 - 09:19Modified: 18/06/2026 - 09:22
By: FRANCE 24 Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. © Social media via Reuters Ukraine on Thursday launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years, sparking fires in and around the capital and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport, officials said.