Ukraine’s drone attack hits Moscow refinery, shuts airports

A Ukrainian drone barrage reached one of Moscow’s most sensitive targets on Thursday, setting off a fire at the Kapotnya oil refinery and briefly shutting the capital’s four airports. Russian officials said air defenses shot down 555 Ukrainian drones nationwide overnight, with roughly 180 to 194 aimed at Moscow.

The refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft, was hit for the second time in a week. Thick black smoke rose over southern Moscow after the strike, underscoring how Ukraine has begun to impose visible costs inside Russia’s capital even as the war grinds on far from the front line.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed damage at the refinery, while the disruption rippled through the city’s transport network. Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled as Moscow’s four airports were briefly shut down, a reminder that drone attacks now reach beyond military targets and into civilian logistics, aviation and daily movement across the capital.

Kyiv framed the assault as retaliation for Russia’s strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the nearly 1,000-year-old monastery and UNESCO-linked heritage site whose roof and cathedral were damaged in a major attack on June 15. Ukrainian officials said repairs could take around two years. Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Moscow strikes a justified response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, while Russian officials signaled further escalation.

The attack matters as much for psychology and range as for physical damage. Hitting the same refinery twice in a week showed that Ukraine can repeatedly penetrate the defenses around Moscow and force Russia to devote more resources to protecting its capital. But it did not settle the larger question of whether these strikes will alter the war’s overall trajectory. For now, the message is narrower and more immediate: Ukraine can still reach deep into Russia, and Moscow cannot fully insulate itself from the war it started.