Maha Christopher
A Ukrainian drone struck a major oil refinery on the outskirts of Moscow on Tuesday, triggering a fire and causing damage in what Kyiv described as retaliation for Russia’s continued aerial attacks on Ukraine.
According to AFP, Russian authorities said the drone hit a facility at the Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya district, an area that was subsequently closed to traffic.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the attack was part of a larger wave of drone strikes targeting the Russian capital.
“Over the past 24 hours, enemy drone attacks on Moscow have continued. One of the drones damaged a Moscow oil refinery facility. There were no casualties,” Sobyanin said.
Russian state media reported that about 60 drones aimed at Moscow were intercepted on Tuesday, making it one of the largest drone attacks on the city this year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv carried out the strike, saying the refinery was located about 500 kilometres from Ukrainian territory.
“This time, the Moscow region felt the reach of Ukraine’s long-range capabilities. An oil refinery was hit at a distance of 500 kilometres,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.
“This is a just response to Russian strikes — and to the dragging out of a war that must be ended,” he added.
The attack came a day after Ukraine accused Russia of launching more than 600 drones and 70 missiles across the country, an assault that reportedly killed at least 11 people and damaged the site of a UNESCO-listed Orthodox monastery in Kyiv.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil facilities and energy infrastructure in recent months as part of efforts to disrupt revenues that support Moscow’s war campaign.
The Moscow refinery involved in the latest strike is owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom. Authorities said investigations into the incident were ongoing.
