Ukrainian drones penetrated three layers of air defenses deployed to protect Moscow and attacked a major Russian oil facility, Kyiv said on Thursday, marking its latest deep-strike operation.
The massive Ukrainian attack targeted the Moscow Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s largest, for the second time in just a few days, and appears to be the largest strike on the capital city in several years.
“Despite three layers of air defense systems deployed in Moscow, as we have said before, we will still reach them,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
In early May, he said that Russia had relocated a significant number of air defense systems to Moscow from other regions as part of a bid to better protect the city ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not want to end this war and chooses to continue it, we will not sit quietly — we will respond. The response must be strong and just.”
“We certainly do not want Ukraine to be burning because of the enemy,” Zelenskyy said. “But if Ukraine is burning, your Moscow will be burning as well.”
The Ukrainian military confirmed the attack early Thursday and said the refinery, located hundreds of miles from the front lines of the war, produces more than 12 million tons of oil annually. Fuel from the facility supports Russia’s economy and military logistics.
Footage from Moscow showed several large explosions and plumes of black smoke. One video shows a drone strike on what appears to be a storage tank, sending its cap soaring up into the sky.
SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS
The Ukrainian military said it recorded impacts and fires around the oil refinery, with preliminary data showing several processing units were burning.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that air defenses had shot down more than 190 Ukrainian drones since the start of the day Thursday. Russian state media TASS, citing his data, said the attack marked the largest on the capital city in two years.
Sobyanin, in a statement posted to the Telegram messaging platform, said that several drones reached the refinery. “Measures are being taken to mitigate the consequences,” he added.
Ukraine has attacked the Moscow Oil Refinery multiple times as part of its long-standing campaign against Russian energy facilities. Strikes on the capital have become more common as Kyiv improves its deep-strike capabilities.
Ukraine routinely uses long-range drones to hit Russian energy sites, aiming to starve the country of critical oil sales and prevent fuel from reaching Putin’s forces on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy has referred to this as Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” on Moscow. Kyiv has also carried out drone and missile strikes on Russian ports, airfields, and weapons production facilities.
“The key is for the Russian people to start feeling that, frankly, only one man is driving this war — Putin — while the people are paying the price for everything,” the Ukrainian president told reporters.
In tandem with the deep strikes, Kyiv is also prioritizing a mid-range strike campaign targeting Russian positions and logistics up to 200 miles deep. Ukrainian officials and conflict analysts have said these attacks mark the successful start of a new phase of the war.
