Russia vowed to escalate its attacks against Ukraine after the latest attack on Moscow, which hit a refinery just ten miles from the Kremlin.
"It is no coincidence that the president announced some time ago, after yet another Kyiv terrorist attack, that we will now conduct massive group strikes on a regular basis against targets whose condition directly affects the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.
Ukraine's attacks appeared to be the largest on Moscow yet, hitting a major oil refinery and sending large plumes of smoke over the Russian capital.
Kyiv said the attack was retaliation for Russian strikes that hit a historic monastery in the country, drawing condemnation from different parts of the world.
"This is 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," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post on Thursday.
"In recent days, all of our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions. It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy," Zelensky added.
NBC News noted that the struck refinery, called Kapotnya, is located just 10 miles away from the kremlin.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said almost 200 drones were shot down overnight, but several reached the refinery. Russian state news agency Tass called it "the most massive drone attack on the Moscow region in two years." Its major airports were temporarily shut down "to ensure flight safety," the country's transportation ministry said.
Ukraine has been waging an increasingly effective campaign of strikes deep in Russian territory. In fact, a recent CBS News report detailed that Russia is facing a shortage of S-300 interceptor missiles, a Soviet-designed surface-to-air defense system that has long been a cornerstone of the country's layered air defense network
Ukrainian officials told CBS News that intelligence assessments indicate a "reduction in Russia's stockpile of S-300 surface-to-air missiles," although they did not disclose current inventory levels. Previous estimates cited by The New Voice of Ukraine suggested Russia possessed more than 400 interceptors for its S-300PM and S-400 systems in 2025. Two Ukrainian officials told the outlet that Moscow has increasingly repurposed S-300 missiles for offensive operations against Ukraine.
