Ukraine hits Moscow oil refinery and disrupts commercial flights with
major drone attack
[June 18, 2026]
Ukraine hit a major Moscow oil refinery for a second time in a week and
disrupted commercial flights at Moscow airports in one of its biggest
drone attacks since Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor more than
four years ago, Russian officials said Thursday.
The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
he had held “an important coordination call” with U.S. President Donald
Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron that may “bring about
significant change.”
Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country had won key pledges of further
support from world leaders attending the G7 summit in France, including
the United States.
Images and video released by the Russian media showed massive fires
raging at the Moscow Oil Refinery, located about 15 kilometers (9 miles)
from the Kremlin. Thick black clouds of smoke rose over the city.
The Moscow Oil Refinery is one of Russia’s biggest refineries, according
to its official website, and accounts for more than a third of the fuel
market of the capital region. It was last attacked by Ukrainian drones
on June 16, catching fire, but officials said the blaze was swiftly put
out.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia's oil facilities, aiming to cut
Moscow's revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of
the invasion.
Flights from four Moscow airports were temporarily halted, transport and
aviation authorities said.
In the surrounding Moscow region, a drone hit a residential building in
the town of Zhukovsky, and the building was being evacuated, according
to Gov. Andrei Vorobyov.
Elsewhere in the region, drone debris hit private houses, a car, a
fitness center, an unspecified industrial facility and a large mall,
whose roof caught fire, Vorobyov said. One woman was injured, he said.
Ukrainian drone attack embarrasses Putin again
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight shot
down 555 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, with almost 200
intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital.
That was roughly double the number of drones that Russia launched at
Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.
The attack was the latest embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir
Putin, after a Ukrainian drone attack on his hometown of St. Petersburg
earlier this month just as he held a showcase economic forum in the city
with foreign VIP visitors.
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Putin on Thursday was in Kazan, some 700 kilometers (430 miles) east
of Moscow, hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations as Russia seeks to bolster business and other ties with the
nations of the regional bloc.
Zelenskyy said the attack on Moscow was part of Ukraine's efforts to
force Putin to the negotiating table.
“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities
and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work
against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” the Ukrainian
leader said on social media. “It is time the war ended, and Russia
must take the necessary steps in diplomacy.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: “One of the most
popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is 'What is going
on?' I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against
ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know
what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”
Ukraine disrupts Russian supply lines with drones
As well as gaining pledges of more diplomatic and military help from
Western supporters at the G7 summit, Ukraine recently has gained
momentum on the battlefield against Russia’s bigger army thanks to
its high-tech drones, Western officials and analysts say.
As well as disrupting Russian oil production, longer-range drone
strikes are choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of
Ukraine.
Macron said the G7 summit was “very important for Ukraine” because
its supporters — crucially including the United States — vowed to
help it, although the French president provided no details. The U.S.
under Trump has cut back assistance to Ukraine, leaving the
Europeans as the biggest suppliers of military and financial aid.
Trump and Zelenskyy have had an at times strained relationship.
″America is with us on Ukraine, that is very important,″ Macron
said.
″And now we will continue to advance to help Ukraine to resist″ and
to build up its ″capacity to defend itself and capacity to
counterattack," Macron told reporters as he and Trump left the
Palace of Versailles near Paris.
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