Ukrainian drones strike Moscow oil refinery for second time this week
Kyiv targets Russian fuel supplies as peace deal talks intensify with US support.
Ukrainian drones struck the Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week, with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirming that air defenses repelled over five dozen drones but several reached the southeastern district of Kapotnya. A Reuters witness reported flames and plumes of smoke over the refinery, and minor damage to a shopping center. The attack follows a previous drone strike on Tuesday that halted operations at the same refinery, compounding damage to Russian energy infrastructure and deepening a nationwide fuel shortage. Russia, the world's third-biggest oil producer and a major exporter, is now planning to import fuel by sea this month to manage the crisis, according to industry sources.
Meanwhile, Russia fired missiles into Kyiv as part of a second air strike this week. The exchange comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks support from the US and Europe to reach a peace deal. The drone campaign has significantly disrupted Russian fuel supplies, with multiple refineries damaged across the country. Regional authorities also reported damage to a high-rise residential building and private houses in the Moscow region. The escalating conflict underscores the strategic importance of energy infrastructure as both sides intensify attacks ahead of potential diplomatic negotiations.
- Over five dozen drones were downed, but several reached Moscow's Kapotnya oil refinery, causing fires and halting operations.
- This is the second drone strike on the same refinery in a week, following a Tuesday attack that had already stopped production.
- Russia, a top oil exporter, now plans to import fuel by sea for the first time this month due to the resulting fuel shortage.
Why It Matters
Strategic strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are crippling fuel supplies and reshaping the conflict's economic front.