RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: The explosions and fires at a Moscow oil refinery were filmed Thursday and were Ukraine’s latest drone strike on Russia. The clip, posted to social media by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, starts with heavy black smoke rising from the area, as viewed from a moving car. A large refinery is visible in the distance, with several tall stacks of smoke rising into the sky. The video shows a storage tank exploding. The video is of a storage tank exploding. One shot is taken from a higher point and seems to be a close-up of the impact on a storage tank. The blast causes the lid of the tank to fly through the air, and a cloud of smoke and debris radiates outward from the tank.
Moscow Oil Refinery Hit in Massive Ukrainian Drone Strike
Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a fully justified response to… pic.twitter.com/NhFl4FlT9L
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 18, 2026
The other segments depict fires raging at several locations in the refinery complex, with dark smoke billowing into the air above the site. Earlier this week, the Moscow fuel plant was also attacked.
The assault was one of the biggest drone attacks on Moscow in recent years, Russian officials said. A vast number of drones were shot down by air defence systems, but some managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
Moscow Refinery Erupts in Flames
The Russian defence ministry told AFP more than 500 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight in the country, including almost 200 aimed at Moscow. Traffic was temporarily halted at Moscow’s airports, and there are reports of damage to residential and commercial buildings due to debris from downed drones.
The attack in Ukraine was a ‘fully justified response’, the Ukrainian government has said. The attack on the refinery was meant to “respond to the attacks of the Russian forces on the Ukrainian cities,” Zelensky said. “This is a legitimate reaction to the attacks against our cities and communities from the Russians and another success of our warriors in the fight against infrastructure for Russia’s war machine,” the Ukrainian President wrote on X.
Ukrainian security and defence authorities had planned the operation, along with targets in the Rostov region and Russian-occupied Ukraine, he said. “In recent days, all our partners have taken notice of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions, which are precise and effective; it’s time for the war to end, and Russia needs to make the proper steps in diplomacy,” he added.
With 13 years on the line, Ashish Kumar Singh loves everything when it comes to movies, music, travel and pop culture. Formerly employed at ANI, Pinkvilla, India Today and HT, Ashish has interviewed some of the top celebrities of India, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, among others. Breaking news excites him and deadlines are what he chases. Interviewing comes naturally to him. Hit him up at ashish.kumar02singh@gmail.com.
