At least three people were killed after a large wave of Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow and surrounding areas, with an oil refinery in the Russian capital among the sites damaged, Russian officials said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted across the country, including about 450 heading toward Moscow. Several drones reached the grounds of the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya, in the southeastern part of the capital.
The refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft, is one of Russia’s major fuel facilities and has been targeted in previous attacks. Reuters reported that the plant processed about 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024.
The deadly attacks were reported in the wider Moscow region. Governor Andrey Vorobyov said two people were killed in separate incidents and a third later died from injuries. About 20 people were reported injured.
A drone also struck an apartment building in the Moscow region, prompting the evacuation of about 400 people. Several buildings and vehicles were damaged, while fires were reported at multiple locations.
The scale of the attack also caused temporary flight restrictions at Moscow’s four international airports.
Sobyanin described the attack as unprecedented and said it was intended to disrupt Russia’s parliamentary elections. Ukrainian officials confirmed that their long-range strikes had hit a key Russian oil-industry facility but did not provide the same account of the casualties. Both Russia and Ukraine have denied deliberately targeting civilians.
The attack comes amid continued Russian and Ukrainian strikes against energy infrastructure as the war continues.
Further details about the refinery damage and the wider impact of the strikes are expected as Russian authorities assess the damage.
