BUTOLPOST – Russia claims to have thwarted one of the largest air attacks launched by Ukraine throughout 2026. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that as many as 172 drones were intercepted and destroyed overnight, including dozens of drones heading towards the capital Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry, Tuesday (17/6), said its air defense system intercepted and destroyed 172 Ukrainian drones that attacked a number of Russian regions, including over the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The strikes also targeted the Moscow region in an operation described as one of the largest drone attacks on the Russian capital so far this year.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin revealed that air defense forces had shot down 60 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow since the morning.
Based on official data from the city government, this number makes this attack the largest in 2026. Previously, the largest attack occurred on May 17 when Russia claimed it had succeeded in intercepting 81 drones heading towards Moscow. Meanwhile, 38 drones were shot down on May 16 and 61 drones on May 7.
Sobyanin said one of the facilities at the Moscow Oil Refinery was damaged as a result of the ongoing attack. However, until now the Russian government has not detailed the extent of the damage or its impact on the refinery’s operations.
In the Krasnodar region, southern Russia, local authorities reported a fire at an oil storage facility in the village of Poltavskaya after debris from a downed drone hit the location.
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said a residential building in the city of Elektrostal, east of Moscow, also suffered damage due to a drone attack.
Until this news was published, there had been no reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via his Telegram account confirmed the attack on a Russian oil refinery. He called the operation part of a “long-range sanctions” strategy aimed at weakening Russia’s energy infrastructure amid the ongoing war.
This large-scale drone attack once again shows the increasing intensity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with both sides continuing to expand attacks into their respective strategic areas.
