Moscow Refinery Blaze Follows Ukrainian Drone Attack as Russian Strikes Kill Two in Sumy
Russia strikes in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast killed two civilians while Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in southeast Moscow for the second time in three days, igniting a fierce blaze. [2]
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Moscow Refinery
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in southeast Moscow on Thursday for the second time in three days, igniting a fierce blaze that spewed clouds of black smoke. [2] The blast was so powerful that the huge disc-shaped lid of an oil storage tank was launched into the sky over Moscow like a frisbee. [2] The attacks are part of a wider Ukrainian campaign to cripple the oil industry whose revenues finance Russia’s war effort. [2] El ejército ucraniano lanzó un ataque mortal con drones sobre Moscú por orden directa del presidente Volodimir Zelensky, en el que voló una refinería de petróleo en el sureste de la capital rusa. [3] Hasta ahora el reporte oficial no reveló número de muertos, aunque sí habría 17 heridos en total. [3] Además de los destrozos en la planta petrolera, también se incendiaron un centro comercial y un edificio de departamentos. [3]
Disruption Spreads Across Russian Capital
On Thursday there was major disruption across the capital. [2] Flights were suspended at all Moscow airports and traffic halted on the highway around the city near the refinery. [2] Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow’s busiest, was evacuated. [2] In online chat rooms, some residents complained about the lack of warning, saying no sirens had sounded. [2] A Moscow news channel reported that suburban residents said a shower of rain had left spots and smears of oil on cars and window sills. [2] Minutos después del ataque se vieron grandes columnas de humo negro extenderse sobre el horizonte sur de la capital, mientras caían del cielo gotas de lluvia mezcladas con hollín. [3] Las autoridades anunciaron, por lo pronto, el cierre del tránsito en las calles aledañas. [3] Otro dron se estrelló contra un edificio de departamentos, mientras que los restos de otro provocaron un incendio en un centro comercial cerca de los suburbios de la capital. [3]
Zelenskyy Defends Strikes as Response to Russian Attacks
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X that one of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is “What is going on?” and answered that the country started a war of aggression against ours. [2] For years, it has been killing our people. [2] Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it. [2] Zelenski declaró que los ataques de hoy fueron una "respuesta absolutamente justificada" a todos los bombardeos mortales que Rusia lanzó contra Kiev en los últimos meses. [3] Advirtió además que su objetivo fue que los rusos "culpen a Putin" por las consecuencias de "la peor guerra en Europa desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial". [3] "Lo principal es que el pueblo de Rusia empiece a sentir que es un solo hombre, Putin, quien libra esta guerra, mientras que la gente común paga el precio de todo", dijo Zelenski a los periodistas durante una rueda de prensa este mismo jueves. [3] Además afirmó que los ataques de hoy son "sanciones de largo alcance" de Kiev contra Moscú. [3] "Es hora de que la guerra termine. Y Rusia debe dar los pasos necesarios en la diplomacia", agregó. [3] Y concluyó, a modo de amenaza: "Nosotros no queremos esta guerra y jamás la hemos querido. Pero si Ucrania arde, su Moscú también arderá." [3]
Russian Attacks Kill Civilians in Sumy Oblast
One person has been killed and two injured in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast. [1] Overall, two people have been killed in Russian strikes across the oblast over the past day. [1] A 78-year-old woman has been killed and a 63-year-old woman injured in a Russian missile strike on the Duboviazivka hromada. [1] A 19-year-old woman has been injured in a Russian drone attack on the Bilopillia hromada. [1] A 64-year-old man was killed in a Russian guided aerial bomb strike on the Sumy hromada. [1] Damaged cars were shown in photos from the National Police of Ukraine. [1]
Kremlin Reaction and Broader Context
There was no immediate comment from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was hosting leaders from Southeast Asia at a summit in the city of Kazan. [2] A Kremlin aide denied on Thursday that the battlefield situation was shifting in Ukraine’s favor and said Trump had been “pumped up” with harmful ideas at the meeting. [2] Las defensas aéreas rusas habrían derribado unos 180 drones en su aproximación a Moscú, según detalló Sobianin, mientras que el Ministerio de Defensa informó que llegaron a alcanzar más de 500 drones ucranianos en todo el país durante la del miércoles noche. [3] El alcalde de Moscú, Serguéi Sobianin, señaló que "varios drones" alcanzaron la refinería de petróleo de Moscú, sin especificar cuáles fueron los daños completos en las instalaciones. [3] Throughout more than four years of war, political analysts and opinion pollsters say many Russians have sought to shut out the reality of the conflict — still described by the Kremlin as a “special military operation” — and get on with their lives. [2] Moscow has been periodically hit by drones since as far back as May 2023, when two of them reached the Kremlin itself, without causing damage. [2] Until now such attacks had scarcely intruded on everyday life in the city of 13 million people. [2] Kyiv says its strikes deep inside Russia are evidence that it is turning the tide of the war — a message that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took this week to U.S. President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders at a summit in France. [2]
What to watch next: Ukrainian officials have framed the strikes as sanctions of long reach against Moscow while Russian defenses reported downing more than 500 Ukrainian drones nationwide.
