Two people were killed and an oil refinery was struck during a massive Ukrainian drone offensive against the Moscow region on Sunday. The attack coincided with the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections, marking a significant escalation in cross-border hostilities.
Despite a recent announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that both nations had reached an agreement to cease strikes on energy infrastructure, both sides have continued to target these facilities. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that Russian air defenses intercepted a vast number of drones, claiming that over 1,600 units had been downed since Saturday, with 450 of those aimed at the capital.
While the Mayor stated that the city itself suffered no casualties, he confirmed that drones reached the Moscow oil refinery and struck a residential building. "The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections," Sobyanin said on Telegram. "The adversary failed to achieve this." Witnesses in the area reported hearing explosions and observed smoke rising from the refinery site, though the full extent of the damage remains under assessment.
The Moscow refinery is a critical piece of infrastructure, having processed 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024, including 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel. Previous Ukrainian strikes on such facilities have led to fuel shortages and price spikes across Russia. Both Kyiv and Moscow maintain that their military operations do not target civilians.
In the Ramenskoye district, Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed the two fatalities and reported that 400 residents, including 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-storey apartment building that sustained damage during the assault.
