Moscow burns as Ukraine strikes refinery and oil deposits

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirms what most Muscovites could see when looking out of their windows in the early morning on June 18: The capital is on fire, Russia's war has reached their own home.

"The air defence forces are continuing to repel the massive attack. Several drones managed to reach the Moscow Oil Refinery. Measures are being taken to deal with the consequences," Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. 

The burning refinery is owned by Gazprom Neft, the same company that operates Russia's only offshore Arctic oil production, the Prirazlomnoye in the eastern part of the Barents Sea. 

Moscow Oil Refinery has a capacity to produce approximately 11–12 million tonnes of crude oil annually and its main aim is to supply the capital region with gasoline and aviation fuels. 

Videos circulating online on Telegram are showing the one anti-air missile after the other missing their targets. Speedy Russian rockets were not able to hit relatively slow flying Ukrainian drones. 

Flames engulfed the Moscow Oil Refinery, located in the Kapotnya district, only a few kilometres from the Kremlin. This is the second time in three days that the important refinery is hit by drones. 

Flight restrictions are introduced at the three Moscow airports Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. The airspace around the Russian capital is closed. Similar restrictions were also in place at airports in Kaluga, Penza, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod and Nizhnekamsk.

Around lunchtime, all arrivals and departures from and to Moscow at the airports in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk are marked with either cancelled or unknown.

According to Censor.NET, Russia was attacked by over 300 drones in the early hours of June 18. 

Developing story, will be updated.