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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, with nearly 200 drones wreaking havoc on the Russian capital on Thursday.
At least 17 people were injured in and around Moscow, according to the regional governor, Andrey Vorobyov.
Around 194 drones were shot down by air defense systems in several waves of attacks, said Moscow city Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
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This is the second major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow this week. Kyiv said on Tuesday it had attacked a major oil refinery on the outskirts of Moscow and published footage showing flames engulfing the facility and black smoke billowing into the sky. Reuters reported the refinery had stopped operations on Tuesday.
Ukraine's military said on Thursday it had struck the same oil refinery again, sparking a "large-scale fire."
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Ukraine's Defense Ministry published a video appearing to show the moments after a fiery explosion, part of a building blown into the sky by the force of the blast.
Sobyanin said "several drones" had hit the Moscow Oil Refinery with emergency services on site to "mitigate the consequences." A shopping center in southeastern Moscow sustained "minor damage" when debris from an intercepted drone fell on the site, according to the mayor.
The Moscow Oil Refinery is the largest facility in the region, providing around 40 percent of the petroleum demand for the area around the capital, according to Ukrainian media.
Kyiv has persistently targeted Russia's oil refineries, pipelines and storage sites with drones capable of flying hundreds of miles in an attempt to cut off vital funds for the Kremlin's war effort.
The war in Ukraine has been a crucible for drone development, with Kyiv pulling away as world leaders in the manufacture of inexpensive uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) able to land painful blows in heavily defended cities like Moscow.
Russia's defense ministry also said on Thursday it had carried out strikes on Ukrainian fuel and energy facilities "in response to terrorist attacks" by Ukraine. Moscow said it had targeted a fuel depot close to Kyiv and an oil refinery in Ukraine's central Poltava region.
Russia launched seven ballistic missiles and 239 drones at the country overnight, with at least two missiles and 26 drones hitting targets in Ukraine, Kyiv's military said.
All four of Moscow's airports temporarily stopped flights in and out of the city on Thursday, with some passengers and staff at the Sheremetyevo Airport in northern Moscow evacuated from the area. More than 50 flights were delayed by more than two hours across the capital's airports by 11 a.m. local time, authorities said.
Kyiv also said it had attacked an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region, and several sites in Russian-controlled territory internationally recognized as Ukrainian.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian operations were a "completely fair response to Russian strikes on our cities and communities," and designed to cut off resources the Kremlin uses to support its war effort.
A massive wave of Russian bombardment into the early hours of Monday damaged a famed cathedral and monastery in the Ukrainian capital, causing international outcry.
Update 6/18/2026, 7:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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