Zelensky threatens Moscow with retaliatory drone strikes if Russian attacks continue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on Thursday, June 18 that intense Ukrainian drone attacks against Russia are retaliatory measures for a Russian bombardment that damaged a historic monastery in Kyiv earlier in the week, warning that "Moscow will burn" if Russian strikes persist. During the night, dozens of drones targeted Moscow, striking a petroleum refinery in the Russian capital for the second time in seven days.

The escalation follows a Russian attack on Monday, June 15 that killed at least ten people across Ukraine and damaged the thousand-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery. In a voice message sent to journalists via WhatsApp, Zelensky stated: "We do not want this war, we never wanted it, and everyone knows that, and our partners know that. But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn." He emphasized that Ukraine did not initiate the conflict and is responding to Russian military actions.

Zelensky was scheduled to attend a meeting of Ukraine's military allies in Brussels on Thursday, where he indicated that discussions would focus on increased air defense supplies to Ukraine through NATO programs and the development of a ballistic anti-missile system jointly created by Ukraine and its allies. The Ukrainian president called on Europe and the United States to intensify pressure on Russia through sanctions targeting its defense and energy sectors, as well as broader economic measures, to compel President Vladimir Putin to end the war.

"Everyone needs to pressure Putin: Ukrainians, absolutely all Europeans, Americans, and Russians. It is time to regain clarity and pressure your leader," Zelensky said. He stressed that the provision of adequate defensive systems and coordinated international sanctions represent critical paths toward achieving peace.

The ongoing conflict, which began with Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022, has seen Ukraine increasingly conduct bold operations inside Russian territory, targeting military infrastructure. Russia has responded by intensifying aerial bombardments, including drone offensives. While both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians, thousands have been killed, with the United States reporting that 1.2 million people have been wounded or killed in the war. Russia currently holds approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and annexed four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—in 2022.