On June 18, 2026, black smoke rises from the area around Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow refinery in the southeastern suburbs of Moscow.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Russia has promised to carry out frequent and “massive mass attacks” against Ukraine, shortly after Kiev barraged Moscow with drones and caused a huge explosion at one of the Russian capital’s main oil refineries.
Ukrainian forces carried out a major offensive against Moscow on Wednesday night and Thursday, focusing on a major oil refinery on the city’s southeastern outskirts.
Nearly 200 drones were reportedly used in the attack, making it Ukraine’s largest ever air attack on the Russian capital. Authorities said 16 people were injured and four Moscow airports had temporarily suspended flight operations.
On Thursday, columns of black smoke were seen rising from Gazprom’s Moscow refinery, which has been targeted by the Ukrainian military multiple times in recent weeks.
“It is no coincidence that after the new terrorist attack in Kiev, the president announced not long ago that we would regularly carry out large-scale mass attacks against targets in the state that directly affect the combat readiness of the Ukrainian military,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Kazan on Thursday, according to Interfax news agency.
Ukraine’s military has repeatedly targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure in an effort to cut Moscow’s energy revenues and force President Vladimir Putin to end the four-year war.
Ukraine seeks support from President Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack on Moscow was carried out in response to Russia’s attack on a historic monastery complex in Kiev earlier this week. Russia said it did not attack Pechersk Lavra.
“This is a fully justified response to Russia’s attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of the activities of our fighters against facilities supporting the Russian war machine,” President Zelensky said in a social media post Thursday.
“In recent days, all our partners have noted the accuracy and effectiveness of our medium-range strikes and long-range sanctions. The time has come for the war to end, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN Summit to commemorate the 35th anniversary of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN countries, in the central Russian city of Kazan, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of the capital Moscow, on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Anastasia Barashkova/Pool/AFP, Getty Images)
Anastasia Barashkova | AFP | Getty Images
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Russian “milbloggers” who closely follow and comment on the war on social media responded to the attacks on Moscow by voicing concerns about Russia’s air defenses and censorship.
ISW added that the increasing frequency, scale, and depth of Ukraine’s long-range attack operations against heavily defended major Russian cities, particularly Moscow and St. Petersburg, “demonstrates the growing vulnerability of Russia’s air defenses and the dilemma the Kremlin has in choosing how to interact with the domestic costs of a war it has started.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request from CNBC for comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to win support from both the United States and Europe for a deal to end the war.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump pledged more aid to Ukraine and urged the Kremlin to “make a deal” to end the war in Ukraine. “We’re going to do whatever we can,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
The US president added that he had spoken with Presidents Zelensky and Putin in recent days, and said that both countries had “lost a huge number of people.”
