Ukraine Launches Drone Attacks on Moscow and Oil Refinery

Plumes of smoke rose over Moscow on Sunday morning following Ukraine's latest drone attack on the city, with a major oil refinery among the targets, according to Russian officials. Moscow's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, stated on Telegram that 450 Ukrainian drones were shot down en route to the capital, describing the assault as "unprecedented."

"Several drones did reach the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery, and one hit a residential building. There were no fatalities," Sobyanin wrote, suggesting the attack was "clearly planned to disrupt" the ongoing Russian parliamentary elections. The Gazprom-MNPZ refinery, a large state-run facility southeast of Moscow, processes approximately 11 million tons of oil annually.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Counter-Disinformation Center, indicated that a "major incident is occurring" at the refinery, which supplies fuel to the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv's long-range strikes had a "very significant impact in the Moscow region last night," hitting "one of Russia’s key oil industry facilities" that contributes "billions of dollars" to Russia's "war machine."

Zelenskyy urged Moscow to end its "brutal war" and pursue peace rather than investing in air defense systems. The governor of the Moscow region, Andrey Vorobyov, reported that one person was killed and five others injured when a drone struck an apartment block in Sofino, southwest of Moscow. Another fatality was reported in the Orekhovo-Zuevsky area east of the capital, with one injury in the southern Leninsky district. In total, 20 people were injured in the attacks.

Vorobyov also reported a fire at an apartment building in the Ramensky district, leading to the evacuation of 400 people and damage to 20 cars. Fires were also reported at a warehouse complex in Sofino and at an apartment building in Kotelniki, southeast of Moscow.

All four of Moscow's international airports experienced temporary flight restrictions overnight, according to Russia's federal air transport agency. The restrictions were lifted on Sunday morning.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it shot down 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight, a figure that represents the largest overnight number reported by the ministry. Ukraine's air force, however, stated that Russia launched 138 drones into Ukraine overnight, with 101 intercepted. Around half of the drones launched were jet-powered. Impacts were reported in 17 locations across Ukraine, and Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported three deaths, including two children, in a Russian attack on the Kyiv region.