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Drone swarm hits Moscow
Ukraine carried out what multiple outlets described as one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow since the Kremlin ordered the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, with the majority of the strikes targeting Moscow and a major oil refinery in the city’s southeast.
“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”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defenses destroyed nearly 200 Ukrainian drones on approach to the capital, while acknowledging that several managed to hit the city's main oil refinery for the second time this week.
The BBC reported that close to 200 drones were fired towards the Russian capital and that 17 people were wounded in the Moscow region, as thick smoke billowed over the Kapotnya refinery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the attack as retaliation, telling reporters in a voice message, "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too."
The Washington Post described the operation as a swarm of drone strikes that appeared to be the largest attack on the capital since President Vladimir Putin plunged the region into full-scale war in February 2022.
Retaliation vows and diplomacy
Russia pledged a response to what it called Ukraine’s largest-ever drone bombardment of Moscow, with The Telegraph saying Russia would hit back with “massive group strikes” in response to the attack.
The Telegraph also quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying, “It is no coincidence that the president announced some time ago, after another stunt by the Kyiv terrorists, that we would now carry out massive group strikes on a regular basis.”
Ukrainian officials tied the strike to recent Russian attacks, with the BBC reporting that Zelensky said the drone strike was an answer to last week's Russian attack on Kyiv that set ablaze the Pechersk Lavra monastery.
In parallel, Zelenskyy sought further backing in Brussels, and The Telegraph said he was there seeking support from European leaders for his pressure campaign to force Putin to the negotiating table.
NPR described the same escalation as part of a broader pattern of Ukraine striking Russian energy infrastructure, saying the attacks were among the largest on the Russian capital since the Kremlin ordered the invasion more than four years ago.
Fuel, flights, and public fear
The attack disrupted daily life in Moscow, with The New York Times reporting that the strikes shut down the capital’s airports for several hours and that part of the busy highway that rings the Russian capital was shut down.
“Ukraine hit a major Moscow oil refinery for a second time in a week and disrupted commercial flights at Moscow airports in one of its biggest drone attacks since of its neighbor more than four years ago, Russian officials said Thursday”
The BBC said Moscow's four airports were temporarily shut and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed, while also describing residents reporting “unpleasant black spots” after what it called black rain.
Ukraine’s targeting of energy infrastructure was presented across outlets as a way to bring the conflict home, with The Guardian saying the main target was the major oil refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district and that it supplies up to 40% of the capital’s petrol and about half of its diesel fuel.
The Guardian added that the psychological impact was likely to be significant, quoting a woman in a widely shared clip saying, “The war is here,” and describing her windows shaking as the air filled with smoke.
The stakes were also framed in diplomatic terms, with the BBC noting that Zelensky said the drone strike was an answer to last week's Russian attack on Kyiv and with the Washington Post describing Ukraine’s push to pressure Putin as Russia’s bombing of Kyiv had intensified in recent weeks.
