Drone strike damages Moscow refinery and disrupts airports after overnight attack

Ukrainian drones damaged the Kapotnya Oil Refinery in Moscow during an overnight attack that also forced suspensions at the Russian capital's four main airports. The refinery, which lies about 10 miles from the Kremlin, was reported to have caught fire after the strike, sending smoke into the skyline. Moscow's mayor said the city had come under attack for the past 24 hours and that one facility at the refinery had been damaged.

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Sergei Sobyanin said at least 60 drones had been shot down over the city, while also saying there were no casualties. He said the damage to the refinery had been caused by one of the drones. The attack was described as one of the heaviest against Moscow in the four-year war, and it came despite recent efforts to strengthen the city's air defences.

Flights were suspended at Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, causing disruption across the capital's air network. The row also reported damage in other parts of the Moscow region, including a residential building in Elektrostal and a building under construction in Kotelniki after drones were downed. The immediate impact therefore extended beyond the refinery itself and into civilian infrastructure and transport.

The refinery matters because it is a major fuel supplier for Moscow and the surrounding region. The supporting material says it provides up to 40% of the capital's overall fuel market and 70% of petrol needs in Moscow and nearby areas. Damage to such a site has significance beyond the local fire, because it touches fuel supply, transport resilience and the wider pressure campaign against Russian energy infrastructure.

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The strike also fits into a broader pattern of attacks on oil installations that the supporting material says are affecting the Russian economy. It comes as Ukrainian drones have increasingly targeted energy sites far from the front line, including facilities in other Russian regions mentioned in the same report. The incident therefore has both military and economic implications, especially because it reached a heavily protected site in the capital.

What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage at the refinery and whether the airport suspensions led to longer-term disruption. The available material does not give a complete assessment of the fire, the number of drones involved in the wider attack, or any response beyond the mayor's statement. Further official updates would be needed to confirm the scale of the damage and whether there were additional consequences in Moscow or elsewhere.

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