Full story
Moscow refinery hit again
Ukraine launched what multiple outlets described as its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the full-scale war, damaging a key oil refinery and sending fires and debris across the region.
“Moscow authorities reported 17 people injured in all.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defenses shot down at least 194 drones bound for the Russian capital, while NBC News reported the refinery fire followed waves of Ukrainian drones hitting the facility for the second time this week.
NPR said the attack disrupted hundreds of flights at Moscow airports and that Moscow authorities reported 17 people injured in all, even as black smoke massed along the skyline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the strike as retaliation, saying it was a “fully justified” response to Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities and adding, “If Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too,” as the Kremlin leader was in Kazan.
The Guardian identified the main target as the major oil refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district, saying fuel storage was hit and that Russian authorities reported 17 injuries.
Threats and counterstrikes
Russia’s response was framed as retaliation by officials and hardliners, with WRAL reporting Vyacheslav Volodin warned Moscow would respond by ramping up strikes, saying, “Their action will lead to our counteraction and launching harsher blows, with more powerful weapons,”.
The same WRAL account said some Russian hawks urged the Kremlin to respond with nuclear weapons, quoting Konstantin Malofeyev criticizing the military for “fighting at half-strength in a gentlemanlike way.”
On the Ukrainian side, Zelenskyy told reporters that the attack was part of an effort to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, saying, “It is time to end the aggression, time to end this war.”
ABC News reported Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down at least 555 Ukrainian drones, while also saying the Kremlin continued nightly long-range attacks on Ukraine by firing at least seven ballistic missiles and 239 drones overnight.
In a separate framing of the same exchange, CNN reported Russia fired back with seven missiles and 239 drones, and quoted residents describing the smell and difficulty breathing as smoke spread over Moscow.
What’s at stake next
The attack’s immediate operational impact included disruptions to air travel, with NPR saying all four of Moscow’s airports suspended operations for much of the day and NBC News reporting major airports went into temporary shutdown to ensure flight safety.
“all four of the city's airports suspended operations for much of the day.”
Fuel and economic pressure were also part of the picture, as WRAL said some areas reported fuel shortages and that gas station chains introduced restrictions, while the Moscow authorities’ statement said supplies of oil products to Moscow and the work of all gas stations in the city continued as normal.
Al Jazeera reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight, with almost 200 intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital, while also describing Ukraine’s strikes as part of pressure for a deal to end the war.
Zelenskyy linked the drone campaign to diplomacy and support from partners, telling reporters “It is time to end the aggression; it is time to end this war,” and in another outlet saying Ukraine’s long-range sanctions were reaching the Moscow region “for the second time this week.”
The Guardian said the lasting effects could be both practical and psychological, noting that for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Muscovites could see smoke rising over the capital, with one woman quoted saying, “The war is here,” and “My windows are shaking.”
