Huge fire erupts at Moscow oil refinery after massive Ukrainian drone strike

Moscow: Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks of the war overnight, striking a major oil refinery in Moscow for the second time in a week and disrupting commercial flights across the Russian capital, according to Russian officials.

The large-scale assault came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that he had held what he described as “an important coordination call” with US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, a discussion he said could “bring about significant change.”

Images and videos circulated by Russian media showed massive flames and thick black smoke billowing from the Moscow Oil Refinery, one of the largest fuel-processing facilities serving the capital region. The refinery, located roughly 15 kilometres from the Kremlin, reportedly accounts for more than a third of Moscow's fuel supply.

The facility was also targeted earlier this week on June 16, when a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire that authorities said was quickly extinguished.

Russia's Transport Ministry confirmed that operations at four Moscow airports were temporarily suspended following the attack, causing significant disruption to commercial air traffic.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, air defence systems intercepted 555 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight, including nearly 200 drones that were approaching Moscow.

In the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said a drone struck a residential building in Zhukovsky, prompting an evacuation. Falling drone debris also damaged private homes, a vehicle, a fitness centre, an industrial site and a shopping mall whose roof caught fire. One woman was reported injured.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil facilities and logistics infrastructure, seeking to undermine Moscow's war economy and bring the consequences of the conflict closer to Russian territory.

The latest strike also came as Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kazan, where Moscow is seeking to deepen economic and strategic ties with Southeast Asian countries.

Zelenskyy defended the attack as a legitimate response to Russian military operations.

“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media.

“It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also addressed Russian citizens directly in a post on X.

“One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is 'What is going on?' I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”

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The attack marks another high-profile security challenge for the Kremlin following recent Ukrainian drone operations deep inside Russian territory.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had also secured fresh commitments of military and diplomatic support from world leaders attending the G7 summit in France.

French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the significance of the discussions, saying:

“These last few days were very important for Ukraine because it is the reunification of the G7 around Ukraine.”

He added, “And now we will continue to advance to help Ukraine to resist and to build up its capacity to defend itself and capacity to counterattack.”