Ukraine has launched its largest drone offensive on Moscow in two years, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS, in an attack that damaged a key oil refinery, caused fires, and sent debris raining down across the region.
Air defenses shot down at least 194 drones bound for the Russian capital overnight into Thursday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. That’s far higher than other days of heavy attacks in recent months, when drones only numbered in the double digits.
The barrage was part of a larger Ukrainian attack over a broad swath of Russia, with air defenses intercepting 555 drones, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense – including over the Sea of Azov.
Flights at all major Moscow airports were temporarily suspended on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing the Russian aviation agency.
Kyiv has been stepping up its targeting of Russian energy infrastructure in long-range attacks in recent weeks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has framed as a key strategy in forcing Moscow to end the war.
Zelensky called Thursday’s attacks “a fully justified response to Russian strikes on our cities and communities,” in a Telegram post from Brussels, where he arrived yesterday for meetings with NATO leaders.
“In recent days, all our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions,” he said.
Among Ukraine’s targets was the Moscow Oil Refinery in the southeastern district of Kapotnya, which was also struck and damaged by Ukraine on Tuesday.
Video geolocated by CNN showed a ground-launched projectile being fired from a road as drones approached the refinery, with thick black smoke billowing above. Another clip showed a large explosion rocking part of complex, blowing the roof off a large fuel tank and into the air.
Elsewhere, a large plume of smoke was seen rising near Moscow’s Sadovod trade center – which brands itself as Russia’s largest mall. And an apartment building and a fitness center in the capital were also damaged by falling debris, TASS reported.
Another oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region was also struck, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
Russia fired back at Ukraine with seven missiles and 239 drones, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The attack struck a private home, an energy infrastructure facility, a hangar, and oil facilities in both the Kyiv and Poltava regions, according to Ukrainian and Russian authorities.
Ukraine has launched extensive drone attacks against Russian refineries and military facilities in recent months, with targets including naval facilities, oil depots and terminals. Some attacks took place in the Leningrad region, where St. Petersburg recently hosted a global economic forum often dubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos.
Russia’s state budget relies on oil earnings for at least one-third of its revenue, according to analysts. Since the Ukraine war began, the pool of buyers for Russian oil has shrunk, thanks to stricter sanctions from the European Union and Washington – though the Iran war proved to be a windfall, with Moscow benefiting from surging global fuel prices and eased sanctions.
Thursday’s attack came soon after the world leaders gathered at the G7 summit in France, where Zelensky said “everyone” had agreed to help Ukraine secure more air defense capabilities – and that US President Donald Trump had received his suggestions positively.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump encouraged Russia to agree to a deal that would end the war, now in its fifth year. “Russia’s lost tremendous amounts of people, and so had Ukraine,” he said.
On Thursday at a gathering of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he and Zelensky had discussed the war during a meeting a day earlier.
“Ukraine is doing really well,” Rutte said, citing Russian losses at 30-35,000 a month. He added that discussions are still ongoing “with all allies to make sure Ukraine has what it needs,” including missile interceptors and weapons systems.
The NATO meeting comes at a pivotal time for Europe, which has been rattled by statements from Trump administration officials about plans to draw down the amount of US forces and hardware stationed in Europe.
Last week the New York Times reported that the US plans to significantly reduce the aircraft and warships that it makes available for NATO operations in Europe, citing European sources.
As a member of the group, the US is part of a cooperative framework called the “NATO Force Model,” in which participating countries provide their support and resources to joint defense, security and crisis response.
Rutte confirmed the drawdown but played down its impact.
“Europeans are already backfilling a lot of those resources. We are in a good place,” he said, adding that were NATO to come under attack its member states, including the US, would ramp up its military presence wherever needed.
Speaking next to Rutte on Thursday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said NATO is now more capable of tackling the conventional defense of Europe, with many countries stepping up their commitments – though others need to do more, he said.
“I think that’s important, friends being honest with friends, making sure that they can step up,” he added.
This article has been updated with additional information.