Ukraine Strikes Moscow Oil Refinery in Drone Attack

Ukrainian drones ‌hit an oil refinery in Moscow on June 18 for the second time this week.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the refinery had been hit, along with the nearby Sadovod shopping mall.

“Air defense forces continue to repel a massive attack. Several drones managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery,” Sobyanin said, adding that a shopping center was also damaged.

Flames and plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the refinery, near the suburb of Kapotnya.

State-run news agency TASS said the Russian defense ministry reported that 555 drones were shot down throughout the country overnight, 180 of which were in the skies over Moscow.

The refinery, which is operated by the state-run Gazprom Neft company, was hit by Ukrainian drones on June 16, briefly halting operations.

Zelenskyy: ‘Fully Justified’

In a June 18 post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they had also targeted the Rostov region in southern Russia and the “temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”

“This is a fully justified response to cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” Zelenskyy said. “In recent days, all of our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions.”

Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow oblast or region, said a high-rise residential building, an industrial plant, and several houses were also damaged in the June 18 drone attack.

Flights to and from all Moscow airports were also suspended, and a highway near the refinery was closed.

On June 16, U.S. President Donald Trump met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, and urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end the conflict.

“Russia should make a deal,” Trump said. “Russia has lost tremendous amounts of people and so has Ukraine.”

“I’m going to do whatever I can,” Trump said when asked about ending the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. president said Iran will soon be “in the rearview mirror,” which would allow him to focus on Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine have been at war for more than four years.

Attacks Behind Enemy Lines

Both countries have resorted to missile and drone attacks on infrastructure and military targets far behind enemy lines.

Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure with long-range drone strikes, following a similar strategy by Moscow, which has also hit Ukrainian cities.

In a June 18 post on X, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote, “One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is ‘What is going on?'”

“I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours,” Sybiha said. “For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”

The attack on Moscow came as Putin was in Kazan, 430 miles east of the capital, hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of an effort to boost economic ties.

Zelenskyy said on June 17 that Kyiv had received important support from several G7 countries at the summit in Évian-les-Bains.

Russian missiles also hit Kyiv, for the second time this week, following an attack that damaged the roof of a cathedral in a 1,000-year-old monastery.

Zelenskyy said the attack on the Dormition Cathedral, in the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, was a crime against Christian culture.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.