On the night of June 18, Moscow and the Moscow region experienced the largest mass attack of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the last two years, Russian media report. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that nearly 200 drones attacked the capital.

According to Sobyanin, several drones managed to reach the Moscow Oil Refinery (MNPZ), triggering a fire on its premises. The refinery had already been attacked on the night of June 16 and temporarily halted operations, Reuters clarifies.

Drone debris also fell on the territory of the Sadovod shopping complex. The mayor noted that one building sustained minor damage, with no casualties.

To ensure security, all four Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo — temporarily suspended operations.

The attack resulted in 17 injuries in the Moscow region, including two children.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that a total of 17 Russian regions were attacked overnight, with 555 drones allegedly “intercepted and destroyed” over them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the drone attack on Moscow a “fair response” to Russian strikes. “Last night, our long-range sanctions again reached the Moscow region: for the second time in a week, the Moscow oil refinery was damaged,” he wrote.

Later, Zelensky told journalists that the recent strikes on Russia were a response to Russia's attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. “If Ukraine burns, your Moscow will also burn… If Putin does not want to end this war, we will not sit idly by. We will respond,” the Ukrainian president said.

Source: www.gazeta.uz