STORY: A Ukrainian drone attack damaged the Moscow oil refinery, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Thursday (June 18). Video published on social media shows the aftermath of the strike.

Moscow downed over five dozen drones on Thursday (June 18), Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram, and a Reuters witness saw flames and plumes of smoke over the southeastern district of Kapotnya where the Moscow refinery is located.

"Air defence forces continue to repel a massive attack. Several drones managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery," Sobyanin said, adding that a shopping centre also suffered minor damage.

The attack is the second in just a few days after a drone strike on Tuesday (June 16) halted operations at the refinery, sources said, adding to widespread damage to Russian energy facilities and extending a fuel crisis deeper into the country.

Russia, the world's third-biggest oil producer and a major oil and fuel exporter, is set to import fuel by sea this month as it seeks to manage a gasoline shortage following extensive Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries, according to industry sources.

In the surrounding Moscow region, a high-rise residential building, an industrial facility and a number of private houses were also damaged in the drone attack, the regional governor said.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Eyewitness footage shows thick plume of smoke in southeast Moscow, near site where the Moscow oil refinery is located.

VIDEO SHOWS: DISTANT VIEW OF THICK BLACK PLUME OF SMOKE OVER SITE OF LARGE BLAZE AT THE MOSCOW REFINERY

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 18, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA - Access all)

1. FLAME AND BLACK SMOKE RISING

2. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC ROAD AND FLAME AND BLACK SMOKE RISING

3. BLACK SMOKE RISING AT DISTANCE

4. BLACK SMOKE RISING AS SEEN FRM MOVING CAR