Refinery in Flames

Ukraine Attacks Moscow with Nearly 200 Drones

Ukraine has sent nearly 200 drones toward Moscow; not all of them could be intercepted ...(Bild: OSINT)

Ukraine attacked Moscow with nearly 200 drones early Thursday morning, setting a refinery ablaze. According to Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, air defenses were able to intercept 180 drones, but “some managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery.” Photos and videos on social media show huge fireballs and flames.

As reported by the independent online portal “Astra,” there are at least five separate fires at the refinery. According to official reports, a residential building and a large garden supply store in Moscow were also hit.

A high-rise building in the surrounding area was also damaged, according to the region’s governor, Andrei Vorobyov. So far, there are no reports of injuries in Moscow or the surrounding area.

The oil refinery in southeast Moscow is owned by Gazpromneft and is one of the largest facilities in Russia, with a processing capacity of 11 million metric tons per year. It accounts for a significant portion of Moscow’s fuel supply.

Moscow Airports Paralyzed
Following a Ukrainian drone attack, flight operations at all major Moscow airports have been temporarily suspended for safety reasons, according to the Russian Aviation Authority.

Fuel Already Rationed
The Ukrainian military has been successfully attacking Russian fuel depots and refineries for months. Most recently, fuel had to be rationed at gas stations across the country; the already severe supply problems will be further exacerbated by the latest attacks. Agriculture is also severely affected by the fuel shortage; there are already warnings that “the agricultural industry could soon shut down.”

Russia Fires Ballistic Missiles at Kyiv
The Russian military, for its part, fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight into Thursday, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the military governor of the Ukrainian capital. Several explosions were heard in the city center; there is no concrete information yet on damage or casualties.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, at least two missiles were fired toward the city of three million people, while another was aimed at the central Ukrainian region of Poltava.

Ukraine has been defending itself for more than four years against the invasion of the country ordered by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. In recent months, it has increasingly targeted refineries in the Russian hinterland. This is intended to disrupt fuel supplies to the attacking Russian troops and make it more difficult for Moscow to finance the war.