Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Assault on Moscow of the War, Igniting Capital's Oil Refinery

Ukraine launched the largest drone offensive against Moscow of the full-scale war early Thursday, setting a major oil refinery ablaze, scattering debris across the region and forcing the temporary shutdown of every major airport serving the Russian capital.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down at least 194 drones bound for the capital overnight, calling it one of the most intense barrages the city has faced since Russia began its invasion in February 2022. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted close to 1,000 drones across a broad swath of the country, including over the Sea of Azov, underscoring the scale of the coordinated assault.

The most significant damage was at the Moscow Oil Refinery in the southeastern district of Kapotnya, a facility that supplies a substantial share of the fuel consumed in the capital region. Video shared on social media showed flames and thick black smoke rising over the plant. Local officials said at least 17 people were injured by falling debris, and authorities briefly grounded flights at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports as the drones approached.

The strike fits a strategy Kyiv has intensified in recent weeks, targeting the refineries, pipelines and storage depots that fund and fuel Russia's war machine. By squeezing Russia's energy revenues and disrupting domestic fuel supplies, Ukrainian officials hope to raise the economic cost of the conflict and push the Kremlin toward negotiations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky framed the long-range campaign as a deliberate effort to bring the war to a close, saying it was "time the war ended" and that pressure on Russian energy infrastructure was central to that goal. Ukrainian commanders have increasingly relied on domestically produced long-range drones to reach targets hundreds of miles inside Russia, partly to offset uncertainty over future Western military aid.

The attack comes at a delicate diplomatic moment, with the Trump administration pressing both sides toward a settlement even as fighting along the front line grinds on. Russia has vowed to retaliate for strikes on its territory, and Moscow has continued its own missile and drone barrages against Ukrainian cities, including deadly attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv in recent weeks. Neither side showed any sign of backing down after Thursday's escalation.