Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow in Years

JAKARTA - Ukraine on Thursday launched the largest drone attack on Moscow, Russia, in years, sparking fires, hitting a major oil refinery, and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was a "fully justified response" to deadly attacks in Kyiv, including an attack earlier this week on a historic cathedral and a 11th-century monastery protected by UNESCO.

He said he wanted the Russian people to put pressure on President Putin over the consequences of the worst conflict in Europe since World War II.

"The most important thing is that the Russian people are starting to feel that only one person, Putin, is waging this war, while ordinary people are bearing the consequences," President Zelenskyy told reporters, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (18/6).

"If Ukraine is going to burn, Moscow you will also burn," he added.

It is the second time this month that Kyiv has launched a major attack during an international summit, after striking Saint Petersburg at the start of a key economic forum near the city.

Moscow's airports were closed for hours, causing hundreds of flight delays.

Meanwhile, the busiest airport in the country - Sheremetyevo - announced that it had evacuated passengers to "safe locations" during the air raids, before reopening at around 11:00 am local time.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said "several drones" had reached Moscow's oil refineries, without mentioning any damage to the facilities.

Authorities announced that they had closed traffic on nearby streets.

Another drone fell on an apartment building, while drone debris sparked a fire at a shopping center near the outskirts of the capital.

A video on social media showed smoke billowing from the top floor of an apartment block, while a woman's voice was heard behind the camera crying.

"Russian air defense systems shot down about 180 drones approaching Moscow," Sobyanin said, while the Defense Ministry reported having intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.

At least 17 people were wounded in the Ukrainian attack, which also set fire to a shopping mall and apartment building, authorities said.

Russia vowed to retaliate for the attack.

The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in the city of Kazan, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of Moscow.

Kyiv itself has stepped up drone attacks against Russia in recent months, calling them "remote sanctions" and hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow's war chest.

This is the second attack on a Moscow oil refinery by Ukraine this week.

Diplomatic talks to end the conflict, which has lasted more than four years, are still at an impasse.

"It's time for this war to end, and Russia must take the necessary diplomatic steps," President Zelensky said after the attack.