A Ukrainian drone attack damaged a facility at a Gazpromneft refinery in the Moscow region, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said today, as quoted by Reuters. The information was confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is at the G7 summit in Evian at the invitation of host France, the world agency reported, as quoted by BTA.
The refinery, one of the largest in the federation, is believed to be among the most heavily protected by Russian air defense infrastructure.
"This time, Moscow region tested how far Ukraine's reach can go. An oil refinery was hit from 500 kilometers away. "This is simply a response to the Russian strikes - and to the protracted war, which must be ended," Zelensky wrote on the social platform Ex.
"There were no casualties in the attack. "Emergency services are working on the spot," wrote Moscow Mayor Sobyanin on the Telegram platform.
The mayor did not specify whether the refinery's operations were affected.
According to the latest data, the refinery, which is the largest in the Moscow region, processed 11.6 million tons of oil and produced 2.9 million tons of oil and 3.2 million tons of diesel in 2024.
The attempted drone attack on Moscow, launched since the beginning of the day, is one of the largest this year, according to data published by the Moscow mayor and cited by TASS.
This morning, Sobyanin announced that since 0:00 Moscow time (also Bulgarian time), Russian air defenses have shot down 60 drones that were flying towards Moscow. The highest number of drones downed so far was in the first half of the day on May 17, while on May 7, 61 Ukrainian drones were destroyed, TASS recalls.
Since the beginning of this year, Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries have doubled. This has led to a complete or partial shutdown of oil refining and a decline in the production of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, according to official data, information on social networks and Reuters' own estimates.
The "Gazpromneft" refinery serves the Moscow region, which has not been affected by supply disruptions so far, unlike other Russian regions.