Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow, Damaging Oil Refinery

Ukraine launched what multiple outlets described as its largest drone attack on Moscow since the start of the full-scale war, damaging a major oil refinery and sending thick black smoke over the Russian capital.

“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”

ABC News

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.

ABC News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the attack as retaliation, telling reporters in a voice message sent to a WhatsApp group, "We don't want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it."

Zelenskyy added, "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too," as the attack disrupted commercial flights and left Moscow residents reporting black spots after what authorities denied was "oil rain."

Russian officials threatened escalation after the Moscow raid, with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warning of "massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis" in response to the drone assault.

Andrey Gurulyov, a retired lieutenant general and state duma deputy, called for Russia to "strike the enemy mercilessly" as the Kremlin pledged "massive group strikes" on Ukraine.

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian officials and Western outlets tied the exchange to a broader contest over energy infrastructure, with the BBC reporting that fires broke out as the Kapotnya refinery was hit for the third time in a month and the second time this week.

The BBC also reported that almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, while local governor Andrei Vorobyov said 17 people were wounded in the Moscow region.

The attack unfolded as Ukraine sought additional backing from allies, with Zelenskyy saying he had held an "important coordination call" with President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron and won key pledges of further support from the G7 summit.

In Brussels, the BBC reported that Moscow’s four airports were temporarily shut and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed, while the Russian defense ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 555 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight.

The Guardian reported that Russia’s foreign minister announced it would launch huge “group strikes” on Ukraine “on a regular basis” in response to the Moscow raid, while also noting that the refinery supplies up to 40% of the capital’s petrol and about 50% of its diesel fuel.

As the drone campaign continued, the BBC quoted a local woman describing the aftermath as "unpleasant black spots" on her clothes, while Russia’s official Telegram channel warned residents in the affected district to keep windows closed and urged families with children, elderly people and asthmatics to leave.