A new attack on drones against a very important energy infrastructure in the Russian capital took place in the morning of Thursday, Russian officials said. The aim was the Moscow Oil Refinery, which affected for the second time Within the same week, in the context of Kiev's strategy to hit energy installations supporting the Russian war machine.
According to the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobianin, several Ukrainian drones hit the Refinery the Capotnia area, to the southeast of the city and a few kilometers away from the Kremlin.
🔥🛢️ The Moscow Oil Refinery came under large-scale aerial attack early this morning, much larger than the one carried out just two days ago.
https://t.co/vZZlDob7NK pic.twitter. com/BAPwEP2Cp m— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar 1love) June 18, 2026
He reported via Telegram that more than 48 drones headed for the Russian capital were shot down by air defense systems. "Air defense forces continue to ward off a massive attack", stated features.
📹 Footage shows force of blast at Kapotnya refinery in Moscow, Russia, sending roof of storage silo soaring into air after reported Ukrainian attack
pic.twitter. Com/FU16rqkOFX— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) June 18, 2026
Video circulating, recording the moment of explosion at the refinery. The footage distinguishes dense black smoke rising from part of the facility, before a strong explosion that shocks another part of the complex, airing the roof of a large fuel tank.
BREAKING:
Huge expansions at the Moscow Oil Refinery after it’s strike by several Ukrainian long-range drones.
Looks like Moscow has a day or two of “black rain” ahead of it. pic.twitter. Com/1dJGDO9lYI— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 18, 2026
At the same time, according to the Russian agency TASS, drone hit an apartment building in Zhukovsky City, outside Moscow. The governor of Moscow District, Andrei Vorobiov, stated that damage was caused to the building and several balconies, but no victims were reported.
HOLY SMOKES! Moscow right now 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter. Com/Oxz4pLHIwQ— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) June 18, 2026
Fragments of crushed drones also fell in various areas around the Russian capital, causing damage to a gym, industrial facility, shopping centre – where a fire occurred – as well as a private residence.
Further south, in the district Rostov, separate drone attack caused the death of a civilian and the injury of two more people, according to the district chief Yuri Slyusar. The same attack caused damage to a train engine and fires in two commercial facilities.
Dozens of drones punched through Russian air defenses overnight, reaching the Moscow Oil Refinery just 14 km from the Kremlin.
The facility supplies around 40% of the Moscow region’s petrol and 50% of its diesel fuel. pic.twitter. com/NOIhMreLZj— KyivPost (@KyivPost) June 18, 2026
The new raid on Moscow occurred only two days after a previous blow to the same refinery. On Tuesday, Sobianin had announced that Ukrainian drones caused damage to facilities within the complex.
After that attack, Ukrainian president Volondimir Zelensky said Ukrainian armed forces used long-range weapons to hit targets within 500 km of the border. Zelenski presented the deep blows to Russian territory as a key element of Kiev's strategy to force Moscow to end the war.
In recent months Ukraine has launched extensive drone attacks against Russian refineries, military bases, oil warehouses and terminal facilities.
Some of the blows occurred even in the Leningrad region, where the Saint Petersburg He recently hosted an international economic forum that is often described as the ‘Russian version of Davos’ The Vladimir Putin.
Oil revenue represents at least one third of the revenue of the Russian state budget, analysts say.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the number of Russian oil buyers has decreased due to the stricter sanctions of the European Union and the United States. However, the recent conflict with Iran boosted Russian revenues, as international fuel prices increased significantly.
Nevertheless, almost daily Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure have caused serious consequences.
Earlier this month, Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, faced fuel shortages and restrictions on petrol disposal, as Ukrainian attacks restricted road supply lines in the region.
NATO DiscussionsThe attack occurred while leaders of the largest Western economies participated in the G7 summit in France.
On the margins of the session, Zelenski met with the American president Donald Trump. Following his contacts, the Ukrainian president said that all his interlocutors agreed to help Ukraine strengthen its anti-aircraft defence capabilities.
As always, a good meeting with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte. We discovered the measures we agreed to implement with our partners during the G7 Summit. The key priority is working on strengththening our definition and obtaining terms from the United States for the production of air defense... pic.twitter. com/aqOWR2BH7u— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 17, 2026
For his part, Trump called on Russia to agree to a solution that would end the war, which now runs its fifth year. "Russia has lost huge number of people, like Ukraine", stated.
On Wednesday, in the margins of a meeting of NATO defence ministers, the Alliance's general secretary, Mark Rute, said he discussed extensively with Zelensky the course of the war"Ukraine is doing really well," Rute said, noting that Russian casualties amount to 30,000 to 35,000 soldiers a month. He added that the discussions between the allies continue to ensure that Kiev receives the anti-aircraft systems, intercept missiles and military equipment it needs. ‘We must keep Ukraine strong’, stressed.
NATO's meeting takes place at a time when Europe is monitoring with concern information on a reduction in the US military presence on the continent.
According to a report by New York Times, the United States plans to significantly limit the number of aircraft and warships available for NATO operations in Europe.
Rute confirmed that relative changes are being considered, but he underestimated their importance. "Europeans already cover a large part of these possibilities. We are in a good position," he said, adding that in the event of an attack on NATO, all member states, including the United States, would immediately strengthen their military presence where necessary.