Hundreds of drones downed as attacks damage industrial zone, injure civilians, and disrupt airports.
On Thursday, Moscow woke up to Ukrainian drone attacks, some of which struck the Kapotnya industrial zone, which houses a refinery complex and oil storage facilities.
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At least 200 out of 555 drones downed across Russia were aimed at the capital, home to 13 million people, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed.
Columns of black smoke covered southeastern Moscow, where one of the downed drones fell onto the roof of a shopping center adjacent to the Kapotnya zone, where a refinery had already been hit on Tuesday.
In the Moscow region, Ukrainian attacks left 17 people injured, including two children aged 3 and 10. Ukrainian drones also left one dead in Rostov and another in Belgorod.
During the night, Russian authorities issued missile threat alerts in several regions of the country, including the Novgorod region, located between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Many airports in western Russia were forced to close their airspace. In the Moscow region, around 500 flights were canceled.
BIG: Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in two years, with Russian officials saying air defenses intercepted 194 drones targeting the capital and 555 across Russia overnight.
The strikes damaged infrastructure, sparked fires, and temporarily disrupted flights… pic.twitter.com/4LGWeXGAfN
— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 18, 2026
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense batteries intercepted 992 drones in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky boasted about the attack on Russia.
“Of course, we do not want Ukraine to burn because of the enemy, but if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn,” he said in a voice message sent to journalists.
For months, Ukrainian attacks have focused on Russia’s transport network and oil infrastructure. This has led to fuel shortages in up to 53 Russian regions. The refinery struck in Kapotnya, owned by the Gazprom consortium, processes around 40% of the fuel consumed by Moscow and its region.
#OPEC Secretary Haitham al-Ghais met with Ricardo Menendez, Vice President for Planning, at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026) in #Russia, strengthening cooperation and joint efforts between the oil organization and the #Caribbean nation… pic.twitter.com/PN6l5gRoQL
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) June 4, 2026
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Source: EFE
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