Ukraine conducted its largest drone strike on Moscow during the ongoing war, deploying nearly 200 drones to target various locations, resulting in fires around the Russian capital.
The attack on Thursday specifically targeted a major oil refinery in the southeast of Moscow, leading to evacuations at the country’s busiest airport. Images captured flames engulfing the Moscow Oil Refinery, causing significant damage and injuries in the region.
Incidents included a drone crashing into an apartment building in the Moscow region and debris from another strike igniting a fire at a shopping center on the outskirts of the capital. Additionally, a separate drone attack on Russia’s Rostov region resulted in casualties, as confirmed by local authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the strikes on social media, citing them as a justified response to Russian aggression towards Ukraine. This marked the second attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery by Kyiv this week, emphasizing the need for diplomatic solutions to end the conflict.
The assault on Moscow was reported as the largest in at least two years by Russia’s state TASS news agency. Notably, this recent strike coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin hosting Southeast Asian leaders in Kazan, with no official response from Putin regarding the attack.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acknowledged the drone strikes on the Moscow Oil Refinery, resulting in the closure of all airports in Moscow for several hours, causing flight delays. Russian air defenses intercepted numerous drones approaching Moscow, while the defense ministry reported thwarting over 500 drones across the country.
Kyiv’s intensified drone attacks on Russia, particularly targeting oil refineries, reflect the ongoing tensions between the two nations amidst stalled diplomatic talks. In response to Ukrainian actions, Russia launched its own drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, escalating the conflict further.
Despite the devastating impact of the conflict on Ukraine, recent Ukrainian offensives have compelled the Kremlin to react strategically. Following similar attacks on Saint Petersburg earlier, Putin pledged to enhance air defenses, leading to stricter regulations on civilian drones around Moscow.
Russian authorities have restricted the dissemination of imagery from sites hit by Ukrainian drones, with no official visuals released by state media yet. The conflict in Ukraine has evolved into Europe’s deadliest since World War II, with a significant loss of life and ongoing international concerns about the escalating violence.
