Russia’s Defence Ministry says air defences shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight. Published On 18 Jun 202618 Jun 2026|Updated: an hour agoUpdated: an hour agoUkrainian drones have hit a Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week while Russia fired missiles at Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks support from the United States and Europe to reach a deal to end the war.Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its air defences shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight, with almost 200 intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listMoscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said several drones hit an oil refinery.“Air defence forces continue to repel a massive attack. Several drones managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery,” Sobyanin said, adding that a shopping centre also suffered minor damage.The attack on the oil facility is the second this week, after a drone attack on Tuesday halted operations at the refinery, according to the Reuters news agency, as widespread damage to Russian energy facilities worsens the country’s fuel crisis.Reporting from Kazan, Yulia Shapovalova said the refinery is a “strategically important enterprise.”“It provides a multi-million population of the Russian capital with around 40 percent of petrol and other oil products. It’s still burning heavily while, according to authorities, emergency services are taking measures to put out fires,” she told Al Jazeera.The regional governor said that in the surrounding Moscow region, a high-rise residential building, an industrial facility and a number of private houses were also damaged in the drone attack. The Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow’s busiest, suspended flights and evacuated people, as several sought shelter in the car park, the airport said in a statement. Advertisement Kyiv meanwhile came under a second Russian air attack this week, as ballistic missiles were unleashed on the Ukrainian capital, city officials said.“The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles. Stay in safe places until the air raid alert …
