Ukraine launched its largest-ever attack on Moscow early Thursday, striking multiple targets including a major oil refinery just nine miles from the Kremlin and sending thick black smoke billowing across the Russian capital.
It was a stunning attack disrupted hundreds of flights, triggered fuel rationing fears, and sent a direct message to Vladimir Putin at a neighboring area from where he was meeting foreign leaders at an Asian summit.
Images and video shared on social media, despite a Moscow ban on distributing drone strike footage, showed multiple large explosions and fires raging at the facility and dense black columns of smoke visible across the city.
Take a look—
Second angle pic.twitter.com/Mj4kV8vxVh
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 18, 2026
A new drone attack on the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya. pic.twitter.com/8GBYTaqGjV
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 18, 2026
This appears to be a second angle: https://t.co/ESgfPJmcmU
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 18, 2026
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses managed to destroy over 500 Ukrainian attack drones overnight across multiple Russian regions. Nearly 200 were intercepted as they closed in on Moscow alone.
But several drones successfully punched through Russian defenses and struck the critical oil refinery and other targets in southeast Moscow. Russia had launched about 300 drones at Ukraine around the same time.
The critical refinery supplies approximately one-third of the entire Moscow region’s gasoline and fuel, and has been targeted by Ukraine as part of their strategy to limit Russian supplies to their front line through long-range strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack part of his country’s “long-range sanctions” on Russia and was deadly serious about what the strikes were about.
“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” Zelenskyy posted on X, sharing video of Moscow burning. “It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy.”
“If Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too.”
Take a look –
Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a fully justified response to… pic.twitter.com/NhFl4FlT9L
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 18, 2026
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the long-range strikes from Ukraine against Russia’s infrastructure has paid dividends over the last year and has created significant difficulty for the Russian military to keep their frontline supplied.
At home, one in four gas stations across Russia has now introduced restrictions on how much fuel drivers can purchase. Multiple regions are experiencing strict fuel rationing. Crimea is facing serious gasoline shortages. Russia’s own energy ministry has acknowledged “temporary difficulties with fuel supplies” in several parts of southern Russia.
The attack did not occur in isolation. It came hours after Zelenskyy held what he called “an important coordination call” with President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in France.
Trump, newly freed from the Iran conflict after Sunday’s peace agreement announcement, said at the G7 that the Middle East war would soon be “in the rearview mirror” and signaled renewed focus on Russia. French President Macron told reporters alongside Trump: “America is with us on Ukraine. That is very important.”