Ukraine Launches Large-Scale Drone Raid on Moscow That Struck Major Gazpromneft Refinery

Overview

• Ukrainian forces mounted a large drone strike that reached Moscow overnight on June 17–18 and caused fires at the MNPZ Gazpromneft refinery in Kapotnia.
• Russian officials say their air defences shot down large numbers of drones, but tallies vary widely between municipal and defence ministry claims, leaving the true scale of interceptions unclear.
• The raid forced air‑raid alerts and temporary evacuations at major Moscow airports, disrupted flight operations for hours, and caused damage to nearby civilian sites including a market and a shopping centre.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky called the operation a ‘fully justified response’ to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities while Kyiv and Moscow each reported heavy strikes on the other’s territory the same night.
• The attack reflects a broader Ukrainian tactic of targeting refineries, fuel depots and transport hubs to constrain Russia’s war logistics as drone production and long‑range strike capacity increase and Western allies debate stepped‑up weapons support.