'Pure hell' in Moscow as Ukrainian drones strike major refinery supplying capital's fuel market

Ukraine launched 1 of its largest drone attacks connected Moscow since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion, striking a large lipid refinery successful the Russian superior and sending heavy achromatic fume implicit parts of the city, according to Russian officials and aggregate reports.

The Moscow Oil Refinery successful Kapotnya — 1 of the superior region’s cardinal substance facilities — was deed overnight Thursday, marking the 2nd reported onslaught connected the tract successful 3 days. Videos circulating online showed ample flames and achromatic fume rising from the facility, portion Russian officials said aerial defenses intercepted waves of incoming drones.

Kyiv says its strikes heavy wrong Russia are grounds that it is turning the tide of the warfare — a connection President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took this week to President Donald Trump and different G7 leaders astatine a acme successful France. 

The latest strikes underscore a caller signifier of the war, with Ukraine progressively capable to deed high-value targets heavy wrong Russia portion Moscow struggles to forestall drones from reaching politically delicate and economically important sites adjacent the capital. 

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Smoke and flames emergence implicit Moscow connected June 18, 2026, pursuing a Ukrainian drone onslaught that deed the Kapotnya lipid refinery and different targets successful the Russian capital. (East2West)

"This is axenic hell, I’ve ne'er felt specified terror," 1 Moscow nonmigratory said aft the attack, according to East2West News. 

Another resident, according to the outlet, asked: "Why won’t this madman halt his brainsick and pointless warfare and extremity the decease and destruction?"

East2West besides reported that a dense information beingness was deployed astir the Kremlin, with Red Square sealed disconnected and machine-gunners positioned connected towers, ramparts and adjacent Bolsheviks' laminitis Vladimir Lenin’s Mausoleum. 

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said aerial defenses changeable down much than 130 drones approaching the city. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed much than 550 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight crossed respective regions, though battlefield claims from either broadside could not beryllium independently verified.

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The Moscow Oil Refinery successful Kapotnya burns aft being deed during Ukraine’s June 18, 2026, drone onslaught connected the Russian capital. (East2West)

The onslaught disrupted regular beingness crossed Moscow, forcing impermanent formation suspensions astatine large airports and postulation restrictions adjacent the refinery. Russian officials said debris besides fell adjacent the Sadovod buying center, damaging a building. The Moscow portion politician said 16 radical were injured successful the broader attack.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha mocked the disorder successful Moscow, penning connected X: "One of the astir fashionable questions asked by Muscovites this greeting is ‘What is going on?’ I tin answer. Your state started a warfare of aggression against ours. For years, it has been sidesplitting our people. Now that you cognize what’s going on, inquire Putin erstwhile helium is readying to extremity it."

The onslaught appeared to exposure vulnerabilities successful Moscow’s heavy promoted aerial defence network, bringing the warfare deeper into the Russian superior adjacent arsenic the Kremlin continues its long-range rocket and drone attacks connected Ukrainian cities.

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Explosion seen implicit Moscow aft Ukrainian drones struck the Russian capital, including the Kapotnya lipid refinery, connected June 18, 2026. (East2West)

The Kapotnya refinery is simply a strategically important target. A anterior Ukrainian drone onslaught damaged portion of the refinery successful caller days, according to Reuters, and forced a halt successful immoderate operations. 

East2West reported that the refinery supplies 40% of Moscow’s substance marketplace and 70% of the surrounding region’s gasoline and aviation substance needs.

Ukraine progressively has targeted Russian vigor infrastructure successful an effort to undermine Moscow’s warfare instrumentality and summation the home outgo of the warfare wrong Russia. Kyiv has described specified strikes arsenic portion of its run of "long-range sanctions" against Russia’s lipid and subject infrastructure.

The Moscow onslaught came arsenic President Vladimir Putin hosted leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc successful Kazan, Russia. Ukraine besides reportedly struck targets linked to Russia’s proviso routes to occupied Crimea, including roadworthy and obstruction infrastructure. Ukrainian officials person repeatedly said isolating Crimea is simply a cardinal subject nonsubjective arsenic Kyiv seeks to weaken Russia’s clasp connected the peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed successful 2014.

Russia, meanwhile, continued its ain strikes connected Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported Russian attacks connected vigor and lipid facilities successful the Poltava portion and adjacent Kyiv.

East2West reported that Russia was moving Tu-95MS strategical bombers crossed the country, raising concerns that Moscow could beryllium preparing different large onslaught connected Ukraine successful the coming days.

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Emergency services unit enactment to extinguish a conveyance occurrence pursuing a Russian drone onslaught successful the Kyiv region, Ukraine, connected May 5, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP)

Zelenskyy has said the warfare could extremity if Putin agrees to genuine bid talks, portion accusing Moscow of prolonging the struggle and utilizing negotiations arsenic screen for continued attacks.

Reuters contributed to this report.