Overview
- Russian officials said their air defences intercepted more than 500 drones during a large-scale assault on Thursday while several UAVs breached the shield and struck sites in and around Moscow.
- The Kapotnya (MNPZ) refinery in southeast Moscow was hit again, producing a major fire and prompting emergency crews to suspend some production while they assess and repair damaged machinery.
- Authorities reported multiple fires, evacuations, airport shutdowns and at least dozens of injuries with confirmed deaths in other regions including Rostov and Belgorod.
- Kyiv publicly claimed the strikes as a justified retaliatory campaign aimed at degrading fuel and logistics that support Russia’s military, a tactic Ukrainian leaders call ‘long-range sanctions’.
- Kapotnya supplies roughly 40% of Moscow’s gasoline and about half its diesel so repeated hits risk short-term fuel shortages, strain transport and add political pressure on the Kremlin during high-profile international events.