Ukrainian drones managed to break through air defenses and hit the Moscow Oil Refinery (NPR) in the morning hours of June 18, causing another major fire just two days after the previous massive attack on the facility.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that air defenses had neutralized more than 30 drones flying towards the capital. However, he officially admitted that several drones had reached the territory of the refinery in the Kapotnya region and urgent measures are currently being taken to eliminate the consequences.
Local residents are sharing videos on social networks with powerful explosions and huge columns of thick black smoke rising from the area of the plant.
This is the second serious attack on the facility this week - the previous strike on June 16 severely damaged the main primary oil processing unit ELOU-AVT-6 (considered the "heart of the plant"), which, according to international sources, has already stopped part of the production capacity.
Today's strikes are aimed at "finishing off" the refinery's infrastructure.
In addition to the refinery, debris and strikes were also recorded at the "Sadovod" shopping center in Moscow, where one of the buildings was damaged.
A drone or debris was also reported to have fallen on a residential building in the Moscow region as a result of the operation of Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems.
At the moment, official Russian authorities report that there are no deaths or injuries to citizens on the territory of the plant or in the city. Emergency services teams continue to work on the ground.
This morning's attacks are part of a coordinated deep campaign by Ukraine against Russia's energy and logistics infrastructure.
In addition to the Moscow region, massive explosions and fires at oil depots and refineries were also reported in the Rostov region this night.
The Moscow Refinery, owned by “Gazprom Neft“, is critically important for the Russian capital. It provides about 40% of the city's gasoline and 50% of its diesel fuel, as well as kerosene for the city's major airports.
Repeated successful strikes (including the shutdown of refineries in Tatarstan and Samara earlier this month) are deepening Russia's fuel shortage. More than 25 Russian regions are already experiencing acute shortages, and major gas station chains have begun to introduce retail fueling limits.