The Ukrainian hit today in oil installations on the outskirts of Moscow was twice as impressive for the range of instruments used against critical targets, but also for the images they created, a communication victory for Kiev.
Russian authorities claimed anti-aircraft defence systems shot down 190 Ukrainian drones from the first hours of the day. If the number is correct (after adding about seven who found a target) was Kiev's largest drone attack since the beginning of the war, in February 2022.
The result was to hit a large refinery and to need the partial evacuation of the Vnukovo airport, the largest in Russia, while problems occurred in both of them.
pic.twitter. com/CAR4Da9v2— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 18, 2026
The image with the lid of the oil tank that "flyed" at great height after the explosion is perhaps one of the most impressive we have seen in this war.
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
pic.twitter. com/qZEkZNUwm X— June 18, 2026
Footage of a Ukrainian attack drone hitting a storage tank at the Moscow Oil Refinery this morning, focusing the tank lid perfectly soaring hungreds of feed. pic.twitter. Com/2GIHEGK52M— OSINT technical (@Osinttechnical) June 18, 2026
Moscow region. pic.twitter. Com/o7vB9u6gkH— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 18, 2026
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
🔥🛢️ 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
A MANPADS operator employing a Ukrainian strike drone on its approach to the Moscow Oil Refinery. https://t.co/XKYcd7m0py pic.twitter. Com/1wxlCBCmKT— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar 1love) June 18, 2026
Zelenski linked the Ukrainian hit to the Russian one days ago in historical monastery outside Kiev"We did not want this war, but if Ukraine is to be burned, Moscow will also burn," he stressed.
However for Russia the attack is a turning point: the message sent by the head of Russian diplomacy was "enough with words and statements, only actions".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that his country continue on a regular basis the massive attacks against targets in Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, are crucial for the operation and operational capacity of Ukrainian armed forces.
In statements to reporters, he recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced Russia's intention to move on to coordinated large-scale blows, following attacks that Moscow is paying off to Kiev some time ago.
Lavrov also argued that the recent attack with Ukrainian drones in the Greater Moscow region requires a specific response from Russia – not enough for this is the case with conviction statements but with actions.
Objective of the Refinery
The attack was obviously intended to halt the operation of the main oil refinery in the Capotnia region.
Video on the Internet shows smoke columns rising from the refinery. The attack was the second in two days against the facility, which, according to local authorities, caused the injury of at least 17 people, including two children.
The refinery supplies up to 40% of the capital's petrol and about 50% of the diesel oil it uses.
Guardian notes that the attack surprised most residents in a city where residents are not usually warned by air raid sirens, and caused social media panic messages.
Many Moscow suburban residents who are far from the center learned about the attack only when they saw drones fly over their heads.
Kiev appears to have used Bars-type missiles—a cruise missile hybrid and drone—that have a range of over 800 km and are designed for precision targeting.