Moscow Oil Refinery ablaze after 'largest-ever' Ukraine missile, drone blitz on Russian capital

Ukraine launched a massive drone and missile attack across Russia overnight on Sept. 20, sparking a huge blaze in Moscow on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff confirmed the Gazpromneft-Moscow Oil Refinery had been targeted and set ablaze, and multiple videos posted on social media showed the Russian capital's morning skyline filled with smoke.

"Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night," Zelensky said.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted and shot down across Russia, 450 of which were aimed at Moscow, in what he described as the "largest-ever" Ukrainian attack on the Russian capital.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the numbers but such figures would indeed mark one of the largest attacks of the war by either side.

Zelensky did not say how many drones and missiles were launched, but listed several largely domestically produced weapons systems used in the attack including the Flamingo cruise missile.

Zelensky also mentioned a "Pelican" with several media outlets mistakenly reporting this was the first confirmed use of the much-anticipated FP-7 ballistic missile. Later reports clarified Pelican is in fact a drone.

The AVT-6 primary refining unit, the integrated oil refining unit, and the isomerization unit were damaged by the strike on the facility in the Kapotnya district, according to the General Staff.

Multiple videos posted to social media show the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district of the capital ablaze after several drone strikes.

"Striking such facilities belonging to the Russian aggressor constitutes Ukraine's exercise of its inalienable right to self-defense," the General Staff said in its statement.

The facility, located about 560 kilometers (about 350 miles) from Ukraine, is one of Russia's largest, with a refining capacity of 12 million tons of oil annually. It supplies 40% of Moscow's fuel market.

The attack came as Russia was holding the final day of its three-day State Duma elections, the country's first parliamentary vote since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"Moscow must end its brutal war and choose peace instead of building layered rings of air defense at the expense of other regions," Zelensky said in a post on X.

"Steps toward de-escalation are on the table — in energy and food security. What is needed is political will."

A drone struck a residential building in Sofyino, killing one woman and injuring five others, including two children, according to Vorobyov. In Ramenskoye, falling drone debris caused a fire on the roof of a 21-story residential building, prompting the evacuation of around 400 people.

In another district, a man was killed after a drone struck a private home, Russian authorities said.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify Russia's claims.

Russian aviation authorities temporarily restricted operations at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports near Moscow overnight, citing flight safety concerns.

Russian authorities also reported temporary restrictions at other airports, including Saratov, as the attacks continued.