Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Moscow, kills two and hits oil refinery

Moscow came under a massive Ukrainian drone assault on Sunday, with Russian authorities reporting that more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted since Saturday, including around 450 heading towards the Russian capital. The attack, described by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin as unprecedented and the biggest drone assault on the city, killed at least two people in the wider Moscow region and damaged a major oil refinery.

According to Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov, a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man were killed in separate incidents linked to the attacks. A drone also struck a 21-storey residential building in the Ramenskoye district, prompting the evacuation of around 400 residents, including 70 children. Several homeswere reportedly damaged.

The Moscow oil refinery was also hit during the overnight barrage. Sobyanin said several drones reached the refinery premises, while emergency teams were deployed at the site. The refinery, one of Russia's major fuel facilities, has previously been targeted in Ukrainian strikes.

Russia's Defence Ministry separately said it had shot down 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russia, Crimea and the Black Sea, while Moscow authorities reported a larger cumulative figure of more than 1,600 drones intercepted since Saturday. The differing figures reflect separate reporting periods and areas covered by the authorities.

The attack came on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections. Sobyanin accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the voting, saying the attack had failed to achieve that objective. Ukraine has not officially commented on the specific allegations, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's long-range strikes had significantly affected the Moscow region and targetedkey oil and logistics facilities.

The latest strikes come amid continued attacks by Russia and Ukraine against each other's energy infrastructure. They also followed a recent announcement by US President Donald Trump that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop targeting energy facilities, although attacks have continued.

Russian authorities also temporarily imposed flight restrictions at Moscow's airports during the attack, with restrictions later lifted. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported deadly Russian strikes in the Kyiv region, underlining the continuing escalation of long-range attacks between the two countries.