[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] Ukraine carried out its largest drone attack on the Russian capital, Moscow, in two years.
Amid the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put strong pressure on Russia, saying, "If Ukraine has to burn, Moscow will burn too."
According to foreign media outlets including the Daily Mail, Ukrainian forces struck key facilities in the Moscow area with a large-scale drone attack on the 18th local time. The targets reportedly included a Moscow oil refinery, which was hit for the second time this week.
Videos posted online showed a massive fireball and explosion immediately after a drone crashed into the refinery. In some clips, black smoke was seen rising over Moscow, while drones were also captured flying above the city center.
After the attack, residents in parts of Moscow claimed that black rain had fallen, but Russian authorities denied it.
Moscow authorities later advised residents in the affected areas to stay indoors and keep their windows closed. They also urged children, the elderly and asthma patients to temporarily leave the area.
After meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels, Zelenskyy said, "We did not want this war, and we want it to end more than anyone else." He added, "But if Ukraine has to burn, Moscow will pay the price as well."
He also called on Europe and the United States to impose additional sanctions on Russia's defense and energy industries, stressing that "not only Ukrainians, but also Europeans, Americans and Russians, must pressure Putin."
Russia said of the large-scale drone attack, "Air defense units are repelling the massive assault," and added, "Some drones reached the Moscow oil refinery."
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed it intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 180 that were approaching Moscow.
The attack forced Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia's largest airport, to move passengers to safe areas and restrict some flights. In the outskirts of Moscow, drone debris sparked a fire at a shopping center, and an apartment building in Zhukovsky was also reported damaged.
TASS Russian News Agency reported that the attack was the largest drone strike targeting Moscow in at least the past two years.
Meanwhile, the war between Russia and Ukraine has continued for more than four years since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Both sides have expanded drone and missile attacks targeting energy facilities and military infrastructure, but peace talks remain deadlocked.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
