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Moscow hit again
Ukraine renewed drone attacks on Russia, and on Thursday a major oil refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district was hit again, sending thick black smoke into the sky and disrupting commercial flights at Moscow airports, Russian officials said.
“Ukraine strikes Moscow oil refinery in large-scale drone attack, with Zelenskyy saying it's 'time the war ended' Russia's Ministry of Defense said it shot down at least 555 Ukrainian drones”
Ukrainian officials said the attack came as retaliation for Russia’s strikes on Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media: "This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities".
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down at least 555 Ukrainian drones, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said about 180 were shot down as they approached Moscow.
In the Moscow region, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 17 people were wounded, and the BBC reported residents described "unpleasant black spots" after what Moscow authorities denied was "oil rain."
Threats and counterclaims
After Kyiv’s drone barrage, Russia pledged to carry out frequent and "massive group strikes" against Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov telling reporters on the sidelines of an event in Kazan that the strikes would be against targets whose condition affects the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukrainian officials framed the Moscow attack as retaliation for Russia’s earlier strikes, and Zelenskyy said, "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn."
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would "continue" striking Ukraine following Ukraine’s biggest-ever drone attack on Moscow, and he said Moscow’s air defences "were performing well."
Ukrainian officials also said their military struck railway bridges in Russian-held Crimea in the area of Rozdolne and Vladyslavivka, which they said were used by Russian forces for military transport and supplies.
What comes next
The attacks fed a wider cycle of escalation described by multiple outlets, with the BBC saying Moscow’s four airports were temporarily shut and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed after the refinery strike.
“Moscow residents complain of black rain after largest Ukrainian attack hits oil refinery Specks of black oil have rained down on part of Moscow after a refinery was hit during the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones fired towards the Russian capital”
Ukraine’s long-range campaign was also tied in reporting to diplomacy and sanctions, with the BBC quoting Zelenskyy saying the drone strike was an answer to Russia’s attack on the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex in Kyiv, while the CNBC report said Zelenskyy urged partners to take steps in diplomacy and that "It is time the war ended."
Russia’s response was framed as both military and political, with the Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov telling Russian state TV that the drone attack on Moscow pushed back prospects of Zelensky and Putin meeting for peace talks.
In Moscow, the NBC News report said the capital’s air defenses generally made successful strikes rare, but it described residents reacting with "horror and fear" and said the refinery fire appeared to be largely put out while 17 people were injured across the Moscow region, including two children.
