Overview
- Russian officials said on Thursday that hundreds of drones attacked multiple regions and that several drones struck the Kapotnya (MNPZ) refinery in southeast Moscow, causing a large fire.
- Moscow and regional authorities reported wide air‑defense activity, giving interception tallies in the 500–555 range while acknowledging that some drones breached defenses and hit a refinery, residential buildings and commercial sites.
- The strikes forced temporary closures and evacuations at major Moscow airports, produced large smoke plumes over the city, caused dozens of injuries and at least a small number of deaths in outlying regions, and disrupted road traffic near Kapotnya.
- Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported that refinery production was suspended after machinery damage, a development that would worsen existing fuel strain because Kapotnya supplies a large share of Moscow’s gasoline and diesel.
- Kyiv publicly defended the operation as a justified retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, a tactic that increases pressure on Russia’s logistics and raises the risk of further escalation and broader economic impacts.