NEW DELHI – More than four years into the war, and now longer than World War I, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues with no signs of slowing down. On Tuesday, Ukraine launched a drone strike on an oil refinery in the Moscow region, and Russian authorities confirmed the damage to the facility.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that a Ukrainian drone attack hit a facility at the Moscow oil refinery owned by Gazpromneft.“There were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene,” Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.The mayor did not say whether the refinery’s operations were affected by the strike.Videos circulated on social media showed a huge column of dark smoke rising high into the sky from the refinery complex after the attack.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also shared footage of the strike and boasted of Ukraine’s long-range offensive capabilities.“This time, the Moscow region felt the reach of Ukrainian long-range capabilities. An oil refinery was hit at a distance of 500 kilometers. I thank the warriors of the Ukrainian Security Service, the forces of unmanned systems, the special operations forces, the Ukrainian defense intelligence, and the missile forces for their effective work,” he wrote on X.
He added: “Russia must be forced to end its war against our people. Ukrainian long-range weapons are one of the important elements of such pressure. This is a fair response to Russian strikes – and to the prolongation of a war that must end.”The refinery is the largest in the Moscow region and will process 11.6 million tons of oil in 2024, according to the latest available data. According to Reuters, it produced 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel during the year, making it a major fuel supplier for the Russian capital and its surrounding areas.The raid comes amid a sharp increase in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. According to official data, social media reports and Reuters accounts, the number of drone strikes on Russian refineries has doubled since the beginning of 2026.These attacks led to the complete or partial closure of many facilities, affecting the production of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel in parts of Russia.Gazpromneft’s refinery primarily serves the Moscow region, which has so far largely avoided the fuel supply disruptions seen in many other Russian regions targeted by Ukrainian strikes.