'Moscow will burn too,' Zelenskyy warns, as Ukraine and Russia exchange airstrikes

ukrayina strike a john roy major capital of the russian federation oil colour refinery for a second time in a week and disrupted commercial flights at Moscow airports in one of its biggest drone attacks since Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour more than four years ago, Russian officials said Thursday.

Images and video released by the Russian media showed massive fires raging at the Moscow Oil Refinery, located about 15 kilometres from the Kremlin. Thick black clouds of smoke rose over the city.

The refinery is one of Russia's biggest, according to its official website, and accounts for more than a third of the fuel market of the capital region. It was last attacked by Ukrainian drones on Tuesday, catching fire, but officials said the blaze was swiftly put out.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia's oil facilities, aiming to cut Moscow's revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion.

The Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow's busiest, suspended flights and was evacuated, with some people seeking shelter in the parking area, the airport said in a statement. The restrictions were later lifted.

"If Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that the attack was part of Kyiv's effort to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. "It is time to end the aggression, time to end this war."

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei ⁠Lavrov on Thursday promised "massive co-ordinated ​strikes on ​a regular ⁠basis" ⁠against Ukraine in the wake of the attacks inside Russia.

Russia, prior to Lavrov's remarks, fired missiles into Kyiv, also for the second time this week, following an attack that damaged the capital's landmark 1,000-year-old monastery and drew international condemnation.

Social media video shows Moscow explosion, roof flying into the air after reported drone attacks

In the surrounding Moscow region, a drone hit a residential building in the town of Zhukovsky, and the building was being evacuated, according to Gov. Andrei Vorobyov, who said 16 people were injured in the Ukrainian drone attack.

Elsewhere in the region, drone debris hit private houses, a car, a fitness centre, an unspecified industrial facility and a large mall, whose roof caught fire, Vorobyov said.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that its air defences overnight shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, with almost 200 intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital.

How Ukraine’s drone skills are slowing Russia’s advance

That was roughly double the number of drones that Russia launched at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone targeted St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown just as the Russian president held a showcase economic forum in the city with foreign VIP visitors.

Hamilton drone maker not bothered by threats from Russia

Ukraine makes some battlefield gains, but 'grey zone' along front is getting bigger

Putin on Thursday was in Kazan, some 700 kilometres east of Moscow, hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as Russia seeks to bolster business and other ties with the nations of the regional bloc.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: "One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is 'What is going on?' I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what's going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it."

As well as gaining pledges of more diplomatic and military help from Western supporters at the G7 summit, Ukraine recently has gained momentum on the battlefield against Russia's bigger army thanks to its high-tech drones, Western officials and analysts say.

As well as disrupting Russian oil production, longer-range drone strikes are choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy held talks Thursday in Brussels with NATO and European Union leaders, and the German and Ukrainian defence ministers signed an agreement to jointly develop an air defence system to counter ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy described it as the start of an "anti-ballistic missile coalition" and invited others to join.

Russia has relentlessly struck Ukraine with those types of missiles, which air defenses struggle to counter.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said he had held "an important co-ordination call" with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron that may "bring about significant change."

Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country had won key pledges of further support from world leaders attending the G7 summit in France, including the United States.

Zelenskyy, G7 leaders work to persuade Trump 'tide is turning for Ukraine'

Macron said the G7 summit was "very important for Ukraine" because its supporters — crucially including the United States — vowed to help it, although the French president provided no details.

″America is with us on Ukraine, that is very important,″ Macron said.

The U.S. Under Trump has cut back assistance to Ukraine, leaving the Europeans as the biggest suppliers of military and financial aid. Trump and Zelenskyy have had an at-times strained relationship.

---

---