Ukraine Strikes Moscow Oil Refinery For Second Time This Week, Zelensky Calls It 'Justified'

Last Updated:June 18, 2026, 14:35 IST

Ukraine hits Moscow oil refinery again, calls it justified response to deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv, as Putin hosts ASEAN leaders in Kazan to deepen ties amid ongoing war

Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Moscow for the second time this week on Thursday, sending thick black smoke and flames into the sky. The attack came as Kyiv said it was responding to recent Russian strikes on Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended the attack, calling it a “fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine."

The strike followed Russian air raids on Kyiv earlier this week that killed at least 11 people. One of the attacks damaged the Dormition Cathedral, part of the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex. Ukrainian officials described the assault as one of the worst attacks on the capital’s cultural and civilian sites in recent months.

Zelensky also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to return to talks and diplomacy, saying it was time for the war to end. The refinery attack is being seen as Ukraine’s biggest strike since Operation Spider’s Web.

Russian authorities said they shot down at least 555 Ukrainian drones across several regions, including about 200 headed towards Moscow.

Russia’s Transport Ministry later suspended flights at all four Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky — until further notice.

The attack came just hours before Putin was scheduled to host leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kazan. Prime ministers from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore attended the meeting, while the Philippines was represented by President Ferdinand Marcos.

At a reception on Wednesday evening, Putin said Russia and ASEAN countries “jointly stand for forming a just world order, defend the principles of sovereign equality of states, (of) non-interference into internal affairs."

The two-day summit is part of Russia’s efforts to strengthen economic and regional ties as the war with Ukraine enters its fourth year.

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Anushka Vats

Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can ...Read More

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