The strike hit the Kapotnya refinery for the second time in a week and forced flight disruptions across Moscow.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA — Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in southeast Moscow on Thursday, setting fires at the Kapotnya plant and forcing flight restrictions at several airports in one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital since 2022.
The attack marked a sharp expansion of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russian energy sites. The Moscow refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft, is a key fuel supplier for the capital region and has become a repeated target as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Russia’s war economy. Russian officials said air defenses intercepted large numbers of drones, but fires and damage at the refinery showed that some aircraft reached the city’s heavily defended industrial belt.
Explosions were reported overnight and into Thursday morning near the Kapotnya district, an industrial area on Moscow’s southeastern edge. Video from the area showed flames and thick smoke rising from the refinery grounds. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency crews were sent to several sites after drones were shot down or struck targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had hit the refinery and said the strike was a response to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities. “If Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too,” Zelenskyy said, tying the raid to recent Russian strikes that damaged a historic Kyiv monastery.
Russian authorities said hundreds of Ukrainian drones were launched overnight, including many aimed at Moscow and surrounding regions. The Defense Ministry said air defenses destroyed drones across multiple parts of Russia, while Moscow officials reported temporary restrictions at major airports as crews assessed the threat. The disruption affected commercial flights at several Moscow hubs, adding a public sign of the attack’s reach beyond the refinery fence line. Russian emergency officials said the refinery fire was contained, though the full scale of damage remained unclear. Industry sources said a strike earlier in the week damaged a key unit at the same plant and forced at least a temporary halt in operations.
The Kapotnya refinery is one of the most important fuel facilities serving Moscow. It processes millions of metric tons of crude each year and produces gasoline, diesel and other fuels used across the region. Ukraine has hit Russian refineries, depots and oil terminals with increasing frequency in 2026, arguing that the sites help fund and sustain Russia’s war effort. The strikes have reached well beyond border regions, including facilities near St. Petersburg, in Tatarstan and in the Samara region. Russian fuel producers have faced shutdowns, repairs and local supply limits after repeated attacks on processing units, storage sites and transport links.
The latest Moscow raid followed a June 16 strike on the same refinery, when a fire broke out and operations were disrupted. That earlier attack damaged equipment tied to a large share of the plant’s output, according to industry accounts. Russian officials disputed some reports of operational trouble and said emergency services responded quickly. The competing accounts could not be fully reconciled Thursday because the plant is a strategic site and Russian authorities released limited technical details. What remained unknown was how long repairs would take, whether fuel deliveries to the Moscow region would be affected, and how many drones reached the refinery grounds.
The strike also carried political weight because it pierced defenses around Moscow, the center of Russia’s government and military command. Zelenskyy said the attack showed Ukraine could answer Russian missile and drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. Russian officials vowed retaliation and described the raid as terrorism. The attack came as Ukraine sought more drones and air defense support from European allies and pressed its argument that Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military target. Moscow has repeatedly said Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory will not change its war aims, while Kyiv says the raids are meant to raise the cost of continued attacks on Ukraine.
Residents in parts of southeast Moscow reported loud blasts before dawn, followed by the smell of smoke and emergency vehicle movement near industrial roads. Local channels shared images of orange flames above low buildings and refinery stacks. Russian state and city officials gave few details about injuries connected to the refinery site, but reports from the broader overnight attack said civilians were hurt in the Moscow region. The refinery sits near dense residential districts as well as rail and road routes, making any fire there a high-profile event even when officials say the danger is contained.
By Thursday afternoon, Russian officials said firefighters had brought the refinery blaze under control and airports were moving toward normal operations. The next clear milestone is whether Gazprom Neft or Russian authorities confirm the condition of the damaged units and any effect on fuel supply in the Moscow region.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.