Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow, Hitting Oil Refinery and Causing Fires

The number of drones shot down varies: some sources report 180, others 500, and one source mentions 1,000.

The number of casualties varies: some sources report 16 injured, others 17.

Ukraine on Thursday launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years, sparking fires, hitting a major oil refinery and forcing evacuations at the country’s largest airport. Russia vowed to retaliate for the attack as AFP reporters saw dramatic scenes of black smoke billowing over the capital’s southern skyline and drops of black rain mixed with soot falling from the sky. At least 17 people were wounded in the strikes, which also set a shopping centre and apartment building ablaze, authorities said. The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Southeast Asian leaders at a summit in the central city of Kazan, about 700 kilometres east of Moscow. An explosion takes place at the Moscow oil refinery after Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, Russia on June 18, 2026. — Reuters The Russian leader had yet to comment on the strikes, despite issuing press statements throughout the day, though his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed Moscow would retaliate with its own “massive” strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was an “absolutely justified response” to deadly strikes on Kyiv — including one earlier this week on a landmark cathedral and a Unesco-protected 11th-century monastery. He said he wanted Russians to put pressure on Putin for the consequences of Europe’s worst conflict since World War II. “The main thing is that the people of Russia begin to feel that it is one man, Putin, who is waging this war, while ordinary people pay the price for everything,” Zelensky told reporters, including AFP. “If Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too.” Moscow has hit Ukraine with daily barrages of missiles and drones. Airport closures It was the second time this month that Kyiv launched a major attack during an international summit, after striking Saint Petersburg at the start of a landmark economic forum near the city. Moscow’s airports were shut for hours, leading to hundreds of flight delays. The country’s busiest — Sheremetyevo — announced it had evacuated passengers to “safe locations” during the barrage, before it re-opened at around 11am (0800 GMT). Konstantin, walking near the refinery in the southeastern Kapotnya district, told AFP he had “never seen anything like it”. An apartment building damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack in Zhukovsky, in the Moscow region, Russia on June 18, 2026. — Reuters Valentina, a 29-year-old manager, said she was woken up by the noise. “It’s really scary,” she told AFP, walking in the park with her daughter, the huge column of smoke behind them. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that “several drones” had reached the Moscow oil refinery, without specifying damage to the facility. Authorities announced they had closed traffic on the streets nearby. Another drone crashed into an apartment building, while drone debris sparked a fire at a shopping centre near the capital’s suburbs. One social media video showed smoke pouring from the upper floors of an apartment block, while a woman behind the camera could be heard weeping in distress. ‘Long-range sanctions’ Russian air defences shot down around 180 drones on approach to Moscow, Sobyanin said, while the defence ministry reported it had intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones across the entire country overnight. Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months — calling them “long-range sanctions” and hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow’s war chest. It was the second Ukrainian strike on the Moscow refinery this week. Diplomatic talks on ending the more than four-year conflict remain stalled. “It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky said after the strike. Russia also launched more than 200 drones and multiple ballistic missiles at Ukraine between late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force. AFP reporters in Kyiv saw people rushing to shelters in the early hours after air defence blasts rocked over the Ukrainian capital. Putin in Kazan In the hours following the attack, Putin posed for a photo with leaders at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kazan and made no mention of the strike in his opening remarks to the forum. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore sent their prime ministers to Kazan, while the Philippines sent President Ferdinand Marcos. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone on the sidelines of the Russia-Asean Summit in Kazan, Russia on June 18, 2026. — Reuters Putin has long sought to project stability in Russia, despite the economic and social effects of his four-year offensive on Ukraine. But a recent spate of attacks has forced the Kremlin to respond. After Kyiv launched similar attacks on Saint Petersburg earlier this month, the Russian leader promised to bolster air defences. US leader Donald Trump this week said Moscow should “make a deal” to end the Ukraine war.

Ukraine launched a new wave of drone attacks on Russia early Thursday, amounting to one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital since the Kremlin ordered the invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

Explosions were seen across Moscow on June 18 as Ukraine targeted the capital with a large-scale drone attack. Nearly 200 drones were fired at the city forcing the airport to halt flights and evacuate passengers. It's part of Kyiv's plan to choke Russia's war machine by hitting deeper into its territory.

Moscow faced its largest Ukrainian drone assault, with nearly 200 unmanned aerial vehicles targeting the capital, causing fires and flight disruptions. Russia claimed to have intercepted almost 1,000 drones nationwide. Kyiv framed the strikes as retaliation and a warning, highlighting its growing long-range capabilities and aiming to pressure Moscow towards diplomacy.

The attack, which shut down the city’s airports for several hours, appeared to be the biggest wave of drone strikes on Russia’s capital since the start of the war.

The attack comes as President Vladimir Putin is in Kazan, 700 km east of Moscow, hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as Russia seeks to bolster business and other ties

Multiple Ukrainian drones hit a Moscow oil refinery on the morning of June 18, according to Russian officials, in what was the second attack this week on the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region. At least 16 people were injured in the attack, according to authorities.

Mayor of Russian capital claims ‌about 180 drones heading to the city were shot down as flames and smoke billow over outskirts Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s ⁠oil refinery for the second time ⁠this week, sending out flames and plumes ⁠of smoke over the south-eastern district of Kapotnya on Thursday morning. “Air defence forces are continuing to repel a large-scale attack. Several drones managed to reach the [Moscow oil refinery],” said Sergei Sobyanin, the city’s mayor, adding that a shopping centre was also damaged. He claimed ‌about 180 drones heading for the capital had ‌been downed. Continue reading...

Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s oil refinery for the second time this week while Russia fired missiles into Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelensky sought support from the US and Europe to reach a peace deal. Moscow downed over five dozen drones on Thursday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ‌said on Telegram, and a Reuters witness saw flames and plumes of smoke over the southeastern district of Kapotnya where the Moscow refinery is located. “Air defence forces continue to repel a massive attack. Several drones...

Moscow's oil refinery in Kapotnya was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack on Thursday, causing visible flames and smoke. This incident follows earlier drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, contributing to a growing fuel shortage. Meanwhile, Russia launched its own attacks on Kyiv and Sumy. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy discussed war-ending strategies with global leaders.