Ukraine has launched the largest drone offensive on Moscow of the full-scale war, in an attack that damaged a key oil refinery, caused fires, and sent debris raining down across the region.
Air defenses shot down at least 194 drones bound for the Russian capital overnight into Thursday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. That’s far higher than other days of heavy attacks in recent months, when drones only numbered in the double digits, and provides a stark example of Kyiv’s dramatically improved drone capabilities since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country began more than four years ago.
The barrage, which left at least 17 people injured, was part of a larger Ukrainian attack over a broad swath of Russia, with air defenses intercepting almost 1,000 drones, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense – including over the Sea of Azov.
Flights at all major Moscow airports were temporarily suspended on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing the Russian aviation agency.
Kyiv has been stepping up its targeting of Russian energy infrastructure in long-range attacks in recent weeks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has framed as a key strategy in forcing Moscow to end its war.
Zelensky called Thursday’s attacks a “justified” response to Russia targeting and damaging a historic, UNESCO-listed monastery complex in the heart of Kyiv earlier this week.
“We do not want this war and never have – everyone knows this, and our partners know this,” he told reporters. “But if Ukraine is engulfed in flames, so will your Moscow be. That is why we emphasize once again that it is time to end the aggression; it is time to end this war.”
Among Ukraine’s targets was the Moscow Oil Refinery, just 15 kilometers from the Kremlin, in the southeastern district of Kapotnya which was also struck and damaged by Ukraine on Tuesday.
Video geolocated by CNN showed a ground-launched projectile being fired from a road as drones approached the refinery, with thick black smoke billowing above. Another clip showed a large explosion rocking part of complex, blowing the roof off a large fuel tank and into the air.
CNN spoke to residents of southeastern Moscow near the Kapotnya oil refinery, who described waking up to explosions, heavy smoke and a strong smell of burning in the early hours of Thursday.
“The smell is terrible. We closed the windows, but it’s still hard to breathe inside the apartment,” said 25-year-old Natalya Klimova, who lives with her mother in Maryino, a district neighbouring Kapotnya. “It is honestly very frightening.”
Klimova said she heard at least 10 loud explosions and ran to the bathroom for safety, but the mirror there was shaking and the whole building appeared to tremble. The sound was so loud that her mother’s blood pressure went up, but Klimova said she was too afraid to go outside to take her to a doctor.
Another Maryino resident, 44-year-old Maria, said she woke up to the sound of explosions and later left the area for her mother’s dacha – a countryside residence in the suburbs of Moscow.
“I was sure the plant would burn sooner or later. I packed my things and went to my mom’s dacha,” she said adding that it was not the first time the Moscow oil refinery has been hit.
Maria described a strange sense of emotional numbness after years of seeing images from Ukraine. “I think I burned out back when I saw the photos and videos from Ukraine,” she said. “And now it’s so close to me, but I seem to be numb to it.”
On social media, residents posted photos of black, sooty raindrops on cars and windowsills, seemingly left by oil-saturated rain. However, Russian authorities denied any “oil rain” had fallen, though they advised residents to “minimize their time outdoors” to avoid inhaling soot.
Russia fired back at Ukraine with seven missiles and 239 drones, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The attack struck a private home, an energy infrastructure facility, a hangar, and oil facilities in both the Kyiv and Poltava regions, according to Ukrainian and Russian authorities.
In response to the attacks, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will launch regular strikes against targets in Ukraine that impact the combat readiness of its armed forces.
Ukraine has launched extensive drone attacks against Russian refineries and military facilities in recent months, with targets including naval facilities, oil depots and terminals. Some attacks took place in the Leningrad region, where St. Petersburg recently hosted a global economic forum often dubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos.
Russia’s state budget relies on oil earnings for at least one-third of its revenue, according to analysts. Since the Ukraine war began, the pool of buyers for Russian oil has shrunk, thanks to stricter sanctions from the European Union and Washington – though the Iran war proved to be a windfall, with Moscow benefiting from surging global fuel prices and eased sanctions.
Thursday’s attack came soon after world leaders gathered at the G7 summit in France, where Zelensky said “everyone” had agreed to help Ukraine secure more air defense capabilities – and that US President Donald Trump had received his suggestions positively.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump encouraged Russia to agree to a deal that would end the war, now in its fifth year. “Russia’s lost tremendous amounts of people, and so had Ukraine,” he said.
On Thursday, at a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he and Zelensky had discussed the war during a meeting a day earlier.
“Ukraine is doing really well,” Rutte said, citing Russian losses at 30-35,000 a month. He added that discussions are still ongoing “with all allies to make sure Ukraine has what it needs,” including missile interceptors and weapons systems.
The NATO meeting comes at a pivotal time for Europe, which has been rattled by statements from Trump administration officials about plans to draw down the amount of US forces and hardware stationed in Europe.
At the meeting, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on such a stance, announcing a six-month review that will examine the US’ “force posture in Europe” which is designed to “ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly” toward Europe taking responsibility for its defense.
He said Washington’s annual contribution to the alliance would be “contingent on other countries meeting their defense spending targets,” adding that “where other allies do not spend with urgency, our due contribution will go down.”
Last week the New York Times reported that the US plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships that it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, citing European sources.
This article has been updated with additional information.
