Ukraine has launched one of its biggest ever cross-border attacks deep inside Russia, blowing up Moscow's largest oil refinery and hitting major military targets.
Massive Drone Strikes on Moscow
The early morning drone strikes will catapult Russian President Vladimir Putin's energy industry into a bigger tailspin and cripple the Russian capital's supplies. It was launched as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to meet US President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit in France where they will discuss a peace deal.
After the attack on Moscow's energy supplies, Ukraine's President Zelensky hailed the mission on the Kapotnya district of the Russian capital as avenging attacks on his civilians. He said: "Russia must be forced to end its war against our people. This is a just response to Russian strikes – and to the dragging out of a war that must be ended. And Ukraine's long-range weapons are one of the important components of such pressure."
Impact on Russian Oil Supply
The attack was such a significant blow that Russian authorities immediately capped the amount of petrol car drivers could take from garages. Payment at petrol stations was being accepted only in cash, and the maximum amount of petrol that can be purchased for passenger cars was 30 litres. Moscow's oil refinery supplies the city with almost 50% of its daily oil consumption and much of it was already being syphoned off to help the Kremlin war effort in Ukraine.
Another oil installation in Krasnodar, southern Russia, was also hit in the attack which was aimed at humiliating Putin, who is already increasingly unpopular. A large number of Russian troops manning observation centres and command posts throughout Russia were also hit in the early morning attack, which was directed by Kyiv's SBU spies.
Simultaneous Attacks in Donetsk
At the same time as the deep-strike operation inside Russia, Ukraine's drone teams smashed the Kremlin's military positions in Donetsk. Russia's field artillery depot and a large supplies HQ in the Kremenivka area of Donetsk, and a Russian drone depot in Mariupol were also targeted. Ukraine troops also attacked a large concentration of Russian troops in the Ivanovo region of Bryansk in the Russian Federation.
Just 24 hours ago it emerged Russia has smashed Ukrainian civilian targets with 70 missiles and more than 600 drones in a major onslaught. And only last week Ukraine's military analysts calculated Putin's troops had fired at least 2,000 deadly drones in just one week.
Strategic Implications
But Ukraine's latest operation is another major blow to Putin's ability to pay for his war on Ukraine, as pressure mounts to end the four year conflict. It comes just days after British commandos stormed an illegal sanctions-buster Russian oil ship in the Channel. Both Putin and Zelensky held Sunday phone meetings with Trump as the US leader prepared to celebrate his 80th birthday.
