Ukrainian Drones Hit Moscow In Largest Attack Of The War: A massive Ukrainian drone strike on an oil and gas facility in Moscow for the second time this week set the refinery ablaze.
Unlike the attack earlier in the week that resulted in limited smoke plumes, Moscow’s skyline was covered with thick, black, acrid smoke. Once again, the drone strike disrupted service at Moscow’s four airports, resulting in 500 flight delays or cancellations.
Putin in March of 2022. Image Credit Russian Federation
Despite Russian authorities banning publication of the aftermath of drone strikes, social media was flooded with them. A video confirmed by NBC News showed a drone flying into a plume of smoke over the Kapotnya refinery, located southeast of Moscow and just 10 miles from the Kremlin. Other videos on Telegram showed a massive fire over the refinery complex.
This attack on Moscow was the largest since the Russians invaded Ukraine, nearly four and a half years ago. Even the state-run news agency Tass called it “the most massive drone attack on the Moscow region in two years.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 194 Ukrainian drones during the attack. The attack wounded 17 people and was part of a large Ukrainian attack against numerous targets across the country. Russian defenses claimed to have shot down over 1,000 drones nationwide.
The BBC reported that an oil depot was also struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed.
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Is “Justified” In The Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes inside Russia are “entirely justified”. He maintains that these operations are a direct, necessary response to prolonged Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, and serve to make ordinary Russians feel the consequences of the invasion.
Ukraine Cruise Missile. Image Credit: Government of Ukraine.
Neptune Cruise Missile Ukraine Government Photo
Ukraine Cruise Missile 2026. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it,” Zelenskyy said in a voice message on the WhatsApp social media. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”
“The main thing is that the people of Russia begin to feel that it is one man, Putin, who is waging this war, while ordinary people pay the price for everything,” he added.
“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” Zelenskyy said. “It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy.”
“Ask Putin When He’s Going To End It”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X: “One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is ‘What is going on?’ I can answer that. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”
However, Putin, who is hosting Southeast Asian leaders for a summit in the central city of Kazan, has not yet commented on the latest large-scale attack on the Russian capital.
The strike came just days after Russian drones struck and set on fire the 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051.
Amid the increased and more successful drone attacks, the Ukrainians have garnered more support from the West and NATO. Leaders at the G7 economic forum pledged more diplomatic and military support.
French President Macron stated the G7 summit was “very important for Ukraine” because its supporters – crucially including the United States – vowed to help it.
″America is with us on Ukraine, that is very important,″ Macron said.
″And now we will continue to advance to help Ukraine to resist″ and to build up its ‘capacity to defend itself and capacity to counterattack,’” Macron added as he and Trump left the Palace of Versailles near Paris.
The Kapotnya Refinery Has Been A Frequent Target For Ukraine
The Gazprom Neft refinery has been targeted multiple times during the war and processed 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel.
The Moscow oil refinery was previously attacked earlier this week. The refinery produced about 40 percent of the gasoline for the Moscow area. Russia has been unable to fully capitalize on the rise of gas and oil prices due to the war against Iran, because of the ongoing and successful strikes by Ukrainian drones against its oil infrastructure.
“The smell is terrible. We closed the windows, but it’s still hard to breathe inside the apartment,” 25-year-old Natalya Klimova, who lives with her mother in Maryino, a district neighboring Kapotnya, said to CNN. “It is honestly very frightening.”
She added that the explosions were so loud, her mother’s blood pressure rose dangerously, but she was too afraid to venture outside.
Strikes On Russia’s Oil And Gas Are Disrupting The Economy
Ukraine has launched extensive drone attacks against Russian oil and gas refineries and military facilities in recent months, with targets including naval facilities, oil depots, and terminals. This has resulted in widespread gas and food shortages.
The attacks are isolating the Crimean peninsula, which is the hub for all of Russia’s operations in southern and eastern Ukraine.
One such drone strike took place in the Leningrad region, where St. Petersburg recently hosted a global economic forum often dubbed Putin’s version of Davos.
The war and Western sanctions have taken a toll on Russia’s oil industry, which the country relies on for about one-third of its revenue.
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
