Ukraine Launches Biggest Drone Attack on Moscow Since Start of War

Ukraine launches its biggest drone attack yet

Moscow mayor says about 180 drones were downed

Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack on Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. The broader assault across Russia also exceeded previous records. Long-range strikes are escalating as both sides target capital regions and energy infrastructure.

RIA Novosti and Interfax reported on June 18 that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Russia's state-backed MAX messaging app that about 180 drones approaching the capital had been downed since midnight. Local reports put the number of Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow at more than 190.

That was more than double the previous record. Russia said it shot down 91 drones over the Moscow region on March 11, 2025. Reuters described that assault at the time as the largest attack on Moscow since the war began.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted 555 Ukrainian drones overnight over Moscow, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Rostov and Crimea. The previous record was 337 drones downed across Russia on March 11, 2025. Kommersant reported that more than 500 drones were shot down from the night of June 17 to the early hours of June 18, including 194 intercepted while approaching Moscow.

The attacks also hit energy infrastructure. Some drones reportedly struck a major oil refinery in Moscow's southeastern Kapotnya district again. Sobyanin said several drones hit the Moscow Oil Refinery, known as MNPZ, and damage-control work was under way.

The refinery can process more than 12 million metric tons of crude a year. It supplies about 40% of Moscow's fuel market demand and most of the city's gasoline. Ukraine also targeted the same facility with a long-range drone strike on June 16. Reuters reported at the time that the plant had halted operations.

Civilian sites were also damaged. Moscow's Sadovod shopping center was hit by falling drone debris. A fire broke out at the Belaya Dacha shopping center in Kotelniki in the Moscow region. A drone also struck a high-rise apartment building in Zhukovsky, forcing residents to evacuate. Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said at least 17 people were injured, including three children.

Air travel was heavily disrupted. Flight restrictions were imposed at international airports around Moscow, including Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky. Aeroflot and its subsidiary Rossiya canceled more than 170 flights to and from Moscow and delayed more than 110.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy struck a hard line in remarks to Ukrainian reporters on June 18. "If Putin does not want to end this war, we will not sit quietly and will respond forcefully," he said. "If Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn too."

Russia also launched retaliatory strikes. The Defense Ministry said it carried out a coordinated attack on fuel and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military. The targets reportedly included a fuel and lubricants depot in Kyiv region and an oil refinery in Poltava region. Ukrainian media reported explosions in Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv as well.

Kim Dae-young, Hankyung.com reporter kdy@hankyung.com