Record Ukrainian drone strike hits Moscow, shutting airports and damaging refinery

Moscow was hit Thursday by what Ukrainian media described as the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the war began, with nearly 200 unmanned aircraft striking targets across the city and surrounding region. Russian authorities said 17 people were injured, thick smoke rose over several sites, and the attack marked a major escalation in bringing the war deep into Russian territory.

Among the main targets was the Kapotnya refinery in southeast Moscow, which was struck for the third time this month and the second time this week. The Moscow Oil Refinery, about 14 to 15 kilometers from the Kremlin, was also hit. Videos and eyewitness reports showed fires and heavy black smoke, and a nearby shopping center caught fire, apparently after drone fragments fell. Several high-rise residential buildings were evacuated.

The strike also disrupted civilian travel. Moscow’s four airports were temporarily closed, and more than 500 flights were canceled or delayed. The refinery supplies about 40% of fuel in the Moscow region and around 50% of its diesel, underscoring the economic impact of the attack.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation was a response to a Russian strike on Kyiv last week that set fire to a major religious site. “We do not want this war and never wanted it,” he said, adding, “But if Ukraine is burning, then your Moscow will burn too.” Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed nearly 1,000 Ukrainian drones and four cruise missiles across the country in the past 24 hours, while a separate fuel depot in Rostov was hit, killing one person. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia had started “a war of aggression” and told Russians to ask Vladimir Putin when he plans to end it.