Ukraine launched the biggest drone attack in years, setting fire to a Moscow oil refinery | Follow | Today’s news
Ukraine carried out one of its biggest drone attacks on Moscow in years on Thursday, sparking fires in the capital and surrounding areas, hitting a major oil refinery and prompting an evacuation at the country’s busiest airport, AFP reported.
At least 17 people were injured in the attacks, which also caused fires at a shopping center and a residential apartment building, authorities said.
AFP reporters saw large plumes of black smoke billowing over the capital’s southern skyline in dramatic scenes, while raindrops mixed with soot fell from the sky.
The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Southeast Asian leaders for a summit in central Kazan, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of Moscow.
Putin did not comment on the strikes during his speech at the summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was a “totally justified response” to the deadly strikes on Kiev – including an attack on a landmark 11th-century UNESCO-protected cathedral and monastery earlier this week.
He wanted the Russians to blame Putin for the aftermath of Europe’s worst war since World War II.
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“The main thing is that people in Russia are starting to feel that it is one man, Putin, who is leading this war, while ordinary people are paying the price for everything,” Zelenskyy told reporters, including AFP.
Moscow has hit Ukraine with daily barrages of missiles and drones. Kiev said on Thursday that one person was killed and nine others were wounded in a Russian attack on the city of Dnipro.
Airport closures
It was the second time this month that Kiev launched a major attack during an international summit after striking St. Petersburg at the start of a major economic forum near the city.
All Moscow airports were closed for hours, leading to hundreds of flight delays.
The country’s busiest – Sheremetyevo – said it had evacuated passengers to “safe locations” during the barrage before reopening around 11:00 a.m. (08:00 GMT).
Konstantin, a pedestrian in a Moscow park, told AFP he had “never seen anything like it”.
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Valentina, a 29-year-old manager who was walking with her daughter in front of the giant column of black smoke, said she was awakened by the noise.
“It’s really scary,” she told AFP.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said “several drones” had arrived at a Moscow oil refinery, without elaborating on the damage to the facility.
Authorities said they have closed the surrounding streets.
Another drone crashed into an apartment building, while debris from the drone ignited a fire at a shopping mall near the outskirts of the capital.
One video on social media showed smoke billowing from the upper floors of the apartment building, while a woman behind the camera could be heard crying desperately.
“Long Sanctions”
Russian air defenses shot down around 180 drones as they approached Moscow, Sobyanin said, while the Defense Ministry said it had intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.
A separate attack by a Ukrainian drone in southern Russia in the Rostov region killed one person, the region’s governor said.
Kiev has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow’s war chest, as diplomatic talks to end the more than four-year conflict remain stalled.
It was the second Ukrainian strike on a Moscow refinery this week.
Zelenskyy calls the attacks “long-term sanctions” by Kyiv.
“It is time for the war to end and for Russia to take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he said.
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Russia also launched more than 200 drones and several ballistic missiles into Ukraine between late Wednesday and early Thursday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
AFP reporters in Kiev saw people rushing for shelter in the early hours after air defense blasts rocked the Ukrainian capital.
Putin in Kazan
In the hours after the attack, Putin posed for photos with leaders at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kazan and made no mention of the strike in his opening speech at the forum.
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore sent their prime ministers to Kazan, while the Philippines sent President Ferdinand Marcos.
Putin has long sought to promote stability in Russia, despite the economic and social impact of his four-year offensive on Ukraine.
However, the recent increase in drone strikes has prompted the Kremlin to take action.
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After similar Ukrainian attacks on St. Petersburg earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to strengthen the country’s air defense systems.
In response to the growing threat, Russia’s Federal Aviation Administration this week imposed restrictions on civilian drones and light aircraft operating in Moscow’s airspace.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “make a deal” to end the war in Ukraine.
