Russian social media users question the effectiveness of Moscow’s anti-aircraft defenses and complain about chaos at airports, while pro-war propagandists try to downplay the impact, telling citizens to worry only when shells fall in front of their homes.
Moscow terrorized by Ukrainian drones/FOTO:X
“Why do I have to suffer through this? Why don’t they knock them down?” This was just one of the virulent reactions of Muscovites on social media after one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks launched on the Russian capital and the surrounding region since the beginning of this year.
The attack, which according to Russian authorities involved hundreds of drones, directly targeted Moscow and its surroundings. Violent fires were reported near the Kapotnia Oil Refinery, a strategic facility that provides a significant part of the capital’s fuel needs. Moscow’s airports temporarily suspended operations while plumes of thick black smoke were visible from several sectors of the city. For many Russian citizens, the disruption of everyday life has become the main source of dissatisfaction.
Outcry on social media: “It’s a capital, not a village!”
“My Vnukovo! Why do I have to suffer? Why don’t they shoot them down? Where was the alert? Why are my vacation plans ruined?” wrote one user on the Threads platform, referring to the Moscow airport. Others expressed dismay at the reality that the war had come to visibly affect life in the Russian heartland.
“Why was Moscow attacked? It’s a capital, not a village! What’s going on? They’re reaching the center of Moscow and the suburbs. Take air defense and equipment from Crimea! How can we live like this?”, another resident reacted.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky linked this attack to recent Russian strikes on Kiev, including the destruction of the UNESCO-protected Lavra Pecerska complex. “They hit the Lavra. I openly said that we are preparing a response and you will see it. I think you see it now”Zelensky stated.
While some complained about the transportation chaos – “First I spent four days in Sheremetyevo, now three days at Sochi airport,” one netizen wrote – pro-war commentators called for harsh retaliation, citing again the use of the Oreshnik ballistic missile.
Kremlin propagandists demand radical measures: “All those filming should be thrown in jail”
Russian propagandists Vladimir Solovyov and Armen Gasparian have called for the arrest and prosecution of Muscovites who filmed and shared footage of the Ukrainian attack, calling for the use of facial recognition technology to identify them, after a record-breaking attack that reportedly involved 194 drones.
The reaction of the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus was one of extreme aggression. Armen Gasparian, a moderator on the state channel Solovyov Live, called on the security services (FSB) to open high treason cases on the names of citizens who recorded footage of the attacks. He claimed to have identified about 100 videos on Ukrainian Telegram channels and called for the use of facial recognition technology to apprehend the perpetrators, calling them “voluntary helpers” of the Ukrainian military.
The idea was promptly supported by Vladimir Solovyov: “All those who send such images should go to prison.”
The wave of anger from the propagandists comes as the refinery in Kapotnia, located just 15 kilometers from the Kremlin, was hit for the second time in a single week. The attack sparked major fires and reignited the internal debate over information control in the Russian Federation.
Economic impact
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the Ukrainian strikes targeted energy infrastructure in Moscow, the Rostov region and the occupied territories, calling them an “absolutely correct response” to Russia’s war crimes.
Industry analysts estimate that nearly a third of Russia’s refining capacity, or about 2.14 million barrels per day, is currently unavailable due to systematic drone attacks. The consequences are already being felt: fuel shortages have spread to more than 25 Russian regions. Major companies such as Tatneft, Rosneft and Lukoil have introduced strict rationing at the pump, limiting sales per vehicle.
For Kiev, the strategy is a set of “long-range sanctions” aimed at financially suffocating the Kremlin’s war machine, even as Moscow tries, through military bloggers and state media, to feign normalcy and calm an increasingly alarmed population.
Zelensky: “If Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev’s latest long-range attack on Moscow was a direct response to Russia’s attack on Kiev and warned that Russians will increasingly feel the consequences of the war if the Kremlin refuses to end it.
Zelenskiy on Thursday called Kiev’s latest large-scale drone attack on Moscow a justified response to Russian attacks, warning that Moscow could face more consequences if the Kremlin refuses to end the war.
In an audio message to journalists after the attack, Zelensky said Ukraine had repeatedly warned that Moscow’s layered air defenses would not protect the Russian capital from long-range Ukrainian attacks.
“You can see that despite the three air defense rings around Moscow, we said we would get to them,” Zelensky said.
