Moscow under attack: Drones struck an oil refinery 15 kilometers from the Kremlin
16 June 09:29
A massive drone attack was reported in Moscow overnight. According to the Russian occupation authorities, air defense forces allegedly shot down drones flying toward the Russian capital. At the same time, reports emerged on social media and monitoring channels of a strike on the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
The Moscow Oil Refinery is one of the key fuel facilities in the Russian capital. It is located in the southeastern part of Moscow and supplies fuel to the Moscow region.
What is known about the attack on Moscow
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported over the course of several hours on the operation of air defense systems and the destruction of drones that, according to him, were heading toward the city.
Videos have been published on Russian Telegram channels showing Ukrainian drones flying freely over Moscow.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, air defense forces allegedly shot down 60 drones in two hours.
According to Russian sources, emergency services were working at the crash sites.
“Emergency service specialists are working at the crash sites,” Sobyanin wrote.
At the same time, Russian authorities have not reported how many drones may have reached their targets.
According to the Telegram channel Astra, eyewitnesses observed air defense operations in Pavlovsky Posad, Ramenskoye, and Zhukovsky in the Moscow region. Due to the attack, Rosaviatsiya imposed restrictions at Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky airports.
Strike on Moscow’s Oil Refinery
On the morning of June 16, drones also attacked Moscow’s largest oil refinery in the Kapotnya district.
According to the Telegram channel Exilenova, a massive fire broke out at the facility after the strikes, and a black column of smoke rose above the site.
“The largest oil refinery in Moscow, effectively a kill zone surrounded by dozens, hundreds of air defense systems, is on fire,” the channel reported.
Lieutenant of the Defense Forces and head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenko, confirmed the attack.
“Moscow is under attack; the Moscow oil refinery is on fire. Although Putin has pulled virtually all key air defense and missile defense systems to Moscow, this does not save the Russians. Putin is not a guarantor of safety for Muscovites,” he wrote.
The facility is located approximately 15 kilometers from the Kremlin.
The Kapotnya refinery supplies up to 40% of Moscow’s fuel market and about 70% of the gasoline needs of Moscow and the surrounding region.
It should be noted that on the night of June 12, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked three facilities of the Russian fuel and energy complex. In Nizhnekamsk (Tatarstan), one of the country’s largest petrochemical plants, “Nizhnekamskneftekhim,” was hit.
On the night of June 11, drones launched a massive attack on the Krasnodar Krai region of the Russian Federation. The Afipsky oil refinery was hit, and a major fire broke out there following the attack.
Fuel Shortage in Russia
The fuel shortage in Russia arose amid intensified Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. In the first five months of 2026, refineries were hit by drone strikes 38 times, with 16 facilities struck in May alone—a record for the entire war, according to Bloomberg.
Due to attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, oil refining volumes in Russia have fallen to their lowest level since 2009. According to Reuters, by the second half of May, refineries with a combined capacity of 238,000 tons per day—about a quarter of the country’s total refining capacity—had shut down.
Central Russia was particularly hard hit: facilities in Kirishi, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl—which produced over 30% of the country’s gasoline—were effectively paralyzed.
