Drone attack damages Moscow refinery, causing roof to collapse

A drone attack struck Moscow on June 18, 2026, hitting a petroleum refinery and causing an explosion that sent the roof flying. The incident, confirmed by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, marks the second such attack on the same facility this week after a previous strike on June 16 caused widespread damage to Russian energy infrastructure.

Local residents captured footage of the explosion, which geolocation analysis by Reuters verified as being recorded in Moscow on Thursday. The Russian defense system reported destroying 555 drones nationwide, with Sobyanin stating that 180 drones were shot down in the Moscow region alone.

The attack also damaged a residential building, an industrial site, and several homes, according to local authorities. Air traffic at Moscow's main airport was temporarily suspended and evacuations were ordered, disrupting travel in the capital.

In parallel, Ukraine's capital Kyiv was targeted by Russian ballistic missiles, triggering air raid alerts across much of the country. Authorities in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, reported that one person was killed in a drone attack. Earlier this week, a major attack on Sumy killed 10 people, caused a severe fire, and damaged part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, which Russia denied hitting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European leaders at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday, where discussions focused on new sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine's EU accession. Zelensky stated that G7 leaders agreed the battlefield dynamics now favor Ukraine and committed to providing more air defense resources. U.S. President Donald Trump said the meeting was "very good" and urged Russia to make a peace deal with Ukraine.