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Ukraine hits Moscow oil refinery for second time in 2 days

The photo shows the Moscow oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone attack on June 18, 2026. (Photo via Telegram)
June 18, 2026 09:19 AM GMT+03:00

Ukraine struck the Moscow Oil Refinery in the capital's southeastern Kapotnya district for the second time in two days on Thursday, sending flames and black smoke billowing from the facility.

This comes as Kyiv's long-range drone campaign against Russian energy infrastructure continued to escalate.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram that air defense forces were "continuing to repel a large-scale attack" and that "several drones managed to reach the MNPZ," the Gazprom Neft Moscow oil refinery.

He said approximately 180 drones heading toward the capital had been downed overnight and that measures were being taken "to deal with the consequences."

Russia's defense ministry said air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 555 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight, though that figure could not be independently confirmed.

Video geolocated by independent analysts showed the moment of an explosion at the refinery, with thick black smoke billowing from one section of the facility before a large explosion struck another part of the complex, blowing the roof of a large fuel tank into the air.

A fire also broke out at the Sadovod shopping center in Moscow after drone debris fell on it, Russian media reported.

Second strike in 48 hours follows Tuesday's hit that halted operations

The first strike on the same refinery occurred Tuesday, when a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at the facility and was understood to have halted operations there.

Thursday's attack, described as more extensive than the first, struck the same facility again before it had recovered.

Moscow's four major airports, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky, all implemented flight restrictions and suspended departures and arrivals during the attack. Sheremetyevo, Moscow's busiest airport, evacuated passengers, with some seeking shelter in the parking area.

Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said a residential building in Zhukovsky outside the capital was also hit by a drone, damaging the structure and some balconies without casualties.

Drone debris damaged a fitness center, an industrial facility, a shopping center and a private home across the wider Moscow region.

The strikes on the Moscow refinery form part of a broader pattern of escalating Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure that has already pushed the country toward a fuel crisis.

Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer, is set to import fuel by sea this month to manage a gasoline shortage caused by extensive Ukrainian strikes on its refineries.

June 18, 2026 09:19 AM GMT+03:00
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