Hundreds of Ukrainian Drones Breach Moscow’s Defenses, Hit Key Oil Refinery, Injuring 17

Ukraine struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, located just 15 kilometers from the Kremlin, with hundreds of drones in a massive attack that overwhelmed Russia’s air defenses [176338][176270]. The strike, one of the largest drone operations against Russian territory since the war began, sent massive plumes of black smoke over the city and forced the suspension of flights at Moscow’s main airports [176270][176338].

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that several drones reached the refinery, which is owned by Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft [176270]. He reported that air defenses shot down more than 190 drones approaching the capital, but at least seven bypassed the defenses to strike targets in the city [176338][175760]. A shopping center also suffered damage [176338].

The attack left 17 people injured in the Moscow region, with debris from intercepted drones damaging residential buildings [176138]. No fatalities have been reported so far [176138][176729].

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes “a fair response to Russian attacks” and warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to end the war, Ukraine will respond forcefully [176338][175760]. “If Ukraine is burning, your Moscow will be burning as well,” Zelenskyy said [175760].

This was the second attack on the refinery in a week, after a previous strike on Tuesday halted operations at the facility [176338]. The refinery produces over 12 million tons of oil annually, supporting Russia’s economy and military logistics [175760]. Ukraine has been using long-range drones to disrupt oil sales and prevent fuel from reaching Russian forces [175760].

In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threatened new “massive attacks” against Ukraine [176515]. Russia claimed its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 555 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight, though the number could not be independently confirmed [176338].