On June 18, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that at least 992 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia in the past 24 hours, making it the highest reported number since the start of the conflict. It is also believed that Moscow was targeted with the war’s largest swarm of drones. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defense forces had shot down 194 drones flying toward the city. At least 17 people have been injured in the attacks on the Moscow Region, including two children.
Ten areas in the Moscow Region were hit, including the Kapotnya oil refinery which supplies up to 40% of the city’s gasoline and nearly half of its diesel fuel. Drone attacks earlier this week and the use of several waves of drones last night enabled some of the Ukrainian drones to get through, while videos posted online also showed that some of the fires were ignited by falling pieces of drones that were shot down. City authorities said the fires at Kapotnya had been suppressed by evening. Images of the strikes show large black clouds of smoke rising mostly from the oil refinery, which caused the regional Ministry of Environment to recommend that residents minimize time outdoors and refrain from opening windows.
