By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-20 15:25:39 | Updated at 2026-09-20 16:07:40
1 hour ago
Ukraine unleashed more than 1,600 drones towards Russia in a massive overnight assault, killing at least two people in the Moscow region and setting ablaze one of the country's most important oil refineries, according to Russian officials.
The attack, which took place during the early hours of Sunday morning, struck the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky above the capital.
Footage circulating on Telegram showed large fires raging at the facility.
The bombardment coincided with the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections — the first legislative vote since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, accused Kyiv of deliberately attempting to disrupt the ballot.
According to Mr Sobyanin, Russian air defences intercepted 450 drones that were heading towards the capital, though several managed to penetrate the city's protective shield and reach the refinery complex.
One drone also struck a residential building, he said, though he confirmed no one was killed within Moscow itself.
The Kapotnya refinery is run by Gazprom Neft and ranks among Russia's largest oil-processing plants, serving as a critical fuel supplier for the capital and surrounding areas.
Ukraine has launched a significant drone strike on Russia during the last day of elections
REUTERS
Mr Sobyanin alleged that the scale of the assault was calculated to interfere with the country's ongoing parliamentary vote.
Flight operations at Vnukovo airport were suspended entirely, whilst travellers using Sheremetyevo were alerted to "temporary restrictions" as authorities responded to the aerial onslaught.
In the wider Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that 249 drones were brought down during a concentrated barrage lasting from 3am to 5am local time.
A 44-year-old woman was killed when a drone struck a three-storey residential building in Sofyino, while an elderly man lost his life after his private home was hit in the Orekhovo-Zuyevo district.
The attacks killed two people
REUTERS
Mr Vorobyov, writing on Telegram, said that around 400 residents — 70 of them children — had been moved to safety from a 21-storey tower block in the Ramenskoye district.
Multiple other homes across the region sustained damage in the assault.
President Volodymyr Zelensky shared footage of the refinery fires on Telegram, urging Russia to pursue a diplomatic resolution.
"Instead of building layered air defence rings at the expense of other regions, Moscow should end its brutal war and choose peace," he wrote.
"Steps toward de-escalation regarding energy and food security are on the table. Political will is required."
The Kapotnya facility handled approximately 11.6 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2024 and has been a repeated target of Ukrainian drone operations throughout 2026. Kyiv's sustained campaign against Russian refining capacity has contributed to a deepening crisis within the country.
The refinery strike came despite Donald Trump stating on Monday that both nations had reached an agreement to refrain from attacking one another's energy infrastructure.
Russia's parliamentary elections are widely expected to strengthen Vladimir Putin's grip on power and serve as a demonstration of domestic support for the conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin barred most anti-war candidates from standing, citing the need for national cohesion and a degree of censorship during what it continues to describe as a "special military operation." Early results were anticipated on Sunday evening, with fuller tallies due on Monday.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes on the Kyiv and Sumy regions on Saturday claimed seven lives, two of them children. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv region, said a mother and her two young children were among the dead after an attack on the city of Fastiv.
