Ukraine hits Moscow refinery with drone strike, Zelensky calls it a 'just response' to Russian attacks
A Moscow oil refinery was damaged overnight in one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian capital this year, hours after Russian strikes killed at least 11 people in Ukraine.
Overnight strike on Moscow
Russian authorities reported that a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted Moscow on Monday night, with air defences intercepting 60 drones. One of them struck the site of a Gazprom-owned oil refinery in the Kapotnia district in the city's southeast, causing damage but no casualties. Traffic was closed in the area on Tuesday morning while emergency services worked at the scene. The fire was extinguished and the refinery's operations were not affected, according to Russian officials.
- Russian missile and drone strikes kill at least 11 people in Ukraine, including 5 in Kyiv, and damage a UNESCO-listed Orthodox complex.
- Ukrainian drones launch toward Moscow overnight; Russian air defences intercept 60 drones.
- One drone strikes a Gazprom-owned oil refinery in Moscow's Kapotnia district, causing damage and a fire.
- Fire extinguished; Mayor Sobianin reports no casualties and says operations unaffected. Zelensky claims responsibility.
Mayor Sergueï Sobianine confirmed the incident on social media.
Enemy drone attacks on Moscow have continued over the past 24 hours. One of the drones damaged the site of a Moscow oil refinery. There were no casualties.
Russian state news agency Tass, citing defence ministry data, described the overnight barrage as one of the most significant attacks on the capital this year.
Zelensky claims a 'just response'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike demonstrated Ukraine's long-range strike capability, with the refinery hit at a distance of 500 kilometres. Writing on X, he called the attack a "just response to Russian strikes" and posted a video compilation showing a drone flying over buildings before crashing near an industrial site.
This time, the Moscow region felt the reach of Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities. An oil refinery was hit at a distance of 500 kilometres.
The Ukrainian claim came a day after a fresh wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine.
Eleven killed in prior Russian barrage
On Monday, Russian strikes killed at least 11 people in Ukraine, including five in the capital Kyiv, where a UNESCO-listed Orthodox complex was heavily damaged. The attacks continued Russia's near-daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, now in a war that has lasted over four years and remains without a diplomatic resolution.
A war of long-range strikes
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian territory far from the front lines, focusing on oil and gas infrastructure to reduce Moscow's ability to fund its war effort. The strike on the Moscow refinery is part of that strategy, bringing the conflict directly to the Russian capital.
