Moscow refinery hit again as Kyiv presses allies for war talks
Russian officials reported a large Ukrainian drone attack near Moscow as Zelenskyy sought US and G7 support for efforts to end the war.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Ukrainian drones struck a Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week, Russian officials said, while Russia launched another missile attack on Kyiv. The exchanges came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was seeking support from the United States and European partners to push Russia toward negotiations.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that air defences destroyed 555 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. The ministry said nearly 200 of them were intercepted as they approached Moscow.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said several drones reached the city’s oil refinery despite the air defence response. He said a shopping centre also sustained minor damage.
Reuters reported that the same refinery had already been hit on Tuesday, halting operations. The news agency said damage to Russian energy sites has worsened fuel shortages in the country.
The governor of the Moscow region said the overnight attack also damaged a high-rise apartment building, an industrial site and several private homes outside the capital. Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow’s busiest, said it suspended flights and evacuated people, with some sheltering in a car park.
Kyiv also comes under fire
Ukrainian officials said Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv in a second attack on the capital this week. Earlier in the week, Russian strikes killed 11 people and damaged a 1,000-year-old monastery listed by UNESCO, according to Ukrainian officials.
European leaders condemned the earlier attack, according to Al Jazeera. Russia denied hitting the monastery.
The latest strikes followed more than four years of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and other Group of Seven leaders about coordinating efforts to end the fighting.
G7 leaders pledged to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences and increase pressure on Russia’s war economy, including through tighter sanctions on the Russian oil and gas sectors. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received commitments for additional air defence missiles, licenses to produce them and support for the winter period.
Trump told reporters he was “gonna do whatever I can” to end the war. Zelenskyy wrote on X that the United States was ready to provide support across the areas discussed, and said Russia had to understand that its war would not be normalised.
The strikes on Moscow and Kyiv underscored the military pressure on both capitals as diplomatic efforts continued. Ukrainian officials have pressed Western governments for more air defence systems, while Russia has continued long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.