Black smoke rises from Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery on the southeastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Russia has vowed to carry out general strikes and “large groups” against Ukraine shortly after Kyiv launched dozens of drones on Moscow, causing a major explosion at one of the Russian capital’s key oil refineries.
Ukrainian forces launched a major offensive in Moscow on Wednesday evening and Thursday, targeting an oil refinery located on the southeastern outskirts of the city.
It is reported that around 200 drones were used in the attack, making it the largest airstrike ever to take place in the Russian capital of Ukraine. Authorities said 16 people were injured, and four Moscow airports temporarily grounded flights.
Columns of black smoke were seen rising from the Gazprom refinery in Moscow on Thursday, a facility that has been targeted by the Ukrainian military several times in recent weeks.
“It is not incomprehensible that the president announced in the past, after another terrorist attack in Kyiv, that now we will carry out large-scale strikes of groups against their targets that directly affect the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Kazan on Thursday, according to Interfax.
Ukraine’s military has repeatedly targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure, seeking to cut Moscow’s energy revenues and trying to force President Vladimir Putin to end the four-year war.
Ukraine wants Trump’s support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow’s strikes were in response to an attack by Russia on a historic palace in Kyiv earlier in the week. Russia said it did not attack the Pechersk Lavra monastery.
“This is a fitting response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our military operations against Russian military bases,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Thursday.
“In recent days, all our allies have noticed the accuracy and effectiveness of our medium strikes and long-range sanctions. It’s time for the war to end, and Russia must take the necessary steps to address it,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the Prime Minister of East Timor on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit, commemorating 35 years of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN countries, in the central Russian city of Kazan, 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of the capital Moscow, June 18, Barash AFP / OL. Getty Images)
Anastasia Barashkova Afp | Getty Images
Russian “milbloggers” closely follow and comment on the war on social media, responding to Moscow’s strikes by raising concerns about Russia’s air defenses and research, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington DC.
The ISW added that the increase in frequency, scale and depth of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against heavily defended Russian cities, particularly Moscow and St.
The Russian Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has been seeking the support of the US and Europe to reach an agreement to end the war.
Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump pledged to provide more aid to Ukraine and urged the Kremlin to “make a deal” to end the war in Ukraine. “I’m going to do whatever I can,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
The US president added that he had spoken with Zelenskyy and Putin in recent days, saying that both countries had “lost a lot of people.”
