Ukraine Targets Moscow Oil Refinery Again As Massive Drone Barrage Deepens Russia's Fuel Crisis

New Delhi: Ukraine launched another major drone attack on Russia overnight, with several drones striking Moscow's oil refinery in the southeastern Kapotnya district, triggering flames and thick plumes of smoke, according to Russian officials and eyewitnesses.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defence systems intercepted more than four dozen drones headed towards the capital, but acknowledged that several managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery. He added that debris from intercepted drones caused minor damage to a shopping centre on the outskirts of Moscow.

The latest strike comes a day after a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly forced the refinery to suspend operations, further disrupting Russia's energy infrastructure.

The repeated attacks have intensified pressure on the country's fuel supplies, with industry sources indicating that Russia is expected to import fuel by sea this month to address a growing gasoline shortage caused by sustained attacks on refineries.

Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer and a major exporter of crude oil and refined fuels, has faced increasing disruptions to its energy sector as Ukraine continues to target key military and industrial facilities deep inside Russian territory.

The overnight attacks were not limited to Moscow. In the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, where most employees of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reside, Russia-appointed Mayor Maksim Pukhov said Ukrainian strikes killed one person and injured four others.

In Russia's Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, local authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike killed a man travelling in his car. Another attack in the southern Rostov region reportedly left one person dead, injured two others, and sparked fires at two commercial facilities.

Meanwhile, Moscow accused Ukraine of attacking a bus carrying Belarusian schoolchildren, an allegation Kyiv rejected as "false."

The fresh wave of strikes highlights Ukraine's expanding long-range drone campaign aimed at damaging Russia's energy and military infrastructure, even as the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continues to intensify.

Both Russia and Ukraine maintain that they do not deliberately target civilians, despite repeated reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure on both sides.

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