Refinery Operations Halted
Ukrainian Drones Strike Moscow Refinery, Damaging Key Unit and Halting Operations
Key Points
Moscow authorities gave more granular strike figures: Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said at least 60 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the capital, and Moscow regional authorities later said 86 drones were intercepted across the wider region, with “at least six people reportedly injured.”
Reuters’ industry sources said the attack hit a “primary refining facility” that accounts for exactly 53% of the Gazprom Neft plant’s capacity, and they added that a second unit was expected to resume operations soon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Moscow refinery strike was carried out from about 500 km away, calling it “just response to Russian strikes” as quoted on X.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported air-traffic disruption affecting “all four major Moscow airports,” after it said at least 172 drones were shot down overnight across multiple regions.
The RBC report (citing Reuters data) provided detailed throughput figures for the targeted refinery: it processed 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel—underscoring the site’s significance to fuel supply.
A Ukrainian drone struck the Moscow Oil Refinery on June 16, igniting a fierce blaze and halting operations at the facility, according to Reuters. The attack was part of a massive overnight barrage of at least 172 drones across multiple Russian regions — the ninth consecutive day of drone strikes targeting the capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said at least 60 drones were shot down over the city and that the fire was extinguished with no casualties. But industry sources told Reuters a different story: a key refining unit accounting for 53% of the plant's capacity was destroyed, and operations had stopped.
A Critical Unit Destroyed, Production in Dispute
The drone hit the ELOU AVT-6 unit — the refinery's most modern and productive primary processing facility, according to Reuters. That single unit handles more than half of the entire plant's output. Industry sources said a second unit was expected to resume operations soon, but the main facility remained offline.
The Moscow Oil Refinery is no small target. It processed 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel, according to Reuters. It supplies roughly 40% of the petroleum demand for the Moscow region. Witness footage showed towering flames and dense black smoke rising from the Kapotnya district in southeast Moscow.
Russia Claims Normalcy, Industry Sources Say Otherwise
Mayor Sobyanin insisted the blaze was put out and that refinery operations "were not affected." Moscow emergency services backed that account. But two anonymous industry sources inside the company told Reuters that the plant had fully halted operations — a direct contradiction of the official line.
Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov offered a wider picture: 86 drones were intercepted across the broader Moscow region, and at least six people were injured by falling debris, Reuters reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said 172 drones total were shot down overnight across multiple regions, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy Calls Strike a "Just Response" From 500 km Away
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the attack and said it was carried out from about 500 kilometers away. He called it a "just response to Russian strikes" on X, framing the hit as part of Ukraine's broader "long-range sanctions" strategy — a campaign aimed at cutting Russia's energy revenue and disrupting military logistics.
The timing was deliberate. A major Russian missile strike had hit Kyiv the day before, damaging a UNESCO-listed monastery. The Moscow strike also coincided with the G7 summit in France, giving Ukraine a high-visibility moment to show off its long-range drone capabilities, according to Reuters.
Fuel Rationing Begins as Russia's Energy Network Strains
The strike added pressure to an already stressed Russian fuel supply. Following the attack, oil producer Tatneft announced caps on fuel purchases at its stations nationwide, Reuters reported. The move was seen as a bid to stop a run on gasoline as supply concerns spread across more than a dozen Russian regions.
Aviation also took a hit. All four major Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky — faced restrictions, leading to more than 50 flight diversions and hundreds of delays. Russia has now intercepted 1,134 drones over Moscow in 2026 alone — already far exceeding the 734 intercepted in all of 2025, according to reports cited by Reuters.
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