Moscow 'will burn' even more, vows Zelensky as city is blanketed in toxic smoke following huge Ukraine drone attack - and residents tell of 'black rain' pouring down

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source President Zelensky today warned Putin 'if Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too' after Kyiv launched a huge drone attack that left Russia's capital blanketed in toxic smoke. Scores of drones targeted the city, hitting its oil refinery for the second time this week. It was Ukraine's largest drone attack on Moscow in years, sparking fires in and around the Russian capital and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport. Footage captured the moment a Ukrainian drone struck the oil depot, sending a huge fireball into the sky as debris rained down around it. Moscow residents complained of black rain falling from the sky following the attack, which the city's authorities denied. But Moscow's official Telegram channel later warned residents of the affected district to stay indoors and keep their windows closed, adding that families with children, elderly people and asthmatics should leave the area immediately. 'We don't want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it,' Zelensky said. 'But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.' Zelensky held talks on Thursday in Brussels with Nato and European Union leaders, and the German and Ukrainian defense ministers signed an agreement to jointly develop an air defense system to counter ballistic missiles. He described it as the start of an 'anti-ballistic missile coalition' and invited others to join. Zelensky called on Europe and the United States to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions on Russia's defence and energy sectors and broader economy to force President Vladimir Putin into ending the war. Zelensky said on Thursday heavy drone attacks on Russia were retaliation for a strike that damaged a historic monastery in Kyiv this week, and that ' Moscow will burn' if attacks continue. Pictured: Smoke rising into the sky following a Ukrainian strike on a Russian oil refinery Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026 The lid of a Russian oil refinery at Kapotnya is blown into the air during a Ukrainian drone strike Black smoke rises from the refinery where a fire broke out following a strike as firefighting efforts continue in Moscow A woman walks outside a shopping mall as black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery People are seen outside a shopping mall as black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery 'Everyone needs to put pressure on Putin: Ukrainians, absolutely all the Europeans, Americans, and Russians - it's time to sober up and put pressure on your leader,' he said. Dramatic footage shared online appeared to show the chaos unfolding across Moscow. Other unverified videos purported to show large columns of black smoke over the city's skyline, while one clip showed drones buzzing overhead. In further footage, bystanders were heard screaming in terror as explosions rang out and what appeared to be a rocket flew overhead, while smoke poured from an apartment block. The large-scale attack came hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to meet Southeast Asian leaders at a summit in the central city of Kazan, about 700 kilometres (435 miles) east of the capital. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore sent their prime ministers, while the Philippines sent President Ferdinand Marcos. Russia's state-controlled TV channels only briefly mentioned the attack on Moscow. Pro-Kremlin newspapers reported it, with some praising the performance of air defenses while noting that the strike highlighted the need to further strengthen the defensive shield around the capital. Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow's war chest, as diplomatic talks on ending the more than four-year conflict remain stalled. 'Air defence forces are continuing to repel a large-scale attack. Several drones managed to reach the MNPZ (Moscow Oil Refinery),' Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, with authorities closing traffic on streets near the refinery. He did not specify damage to the facility, but several Russian media outlets reported that it was on fire. Russia's busiest airport - Moscow's Sheremetyevo - announced it had evacuated passengers to 'safe locations' during the barrage and was restricting flights. Smoke filling the sky and blocking the light after the oil refinery was hit in Russia People walk away from the smoke after the fire broke out following the Ukrainian strike Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years on Thursday, sparking fires in and around the Russian capital and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport, officials said Further footage shows bystanders screaming in terror as explosions ring out and smoke pouring from an apartment block Another drone crashed into an apartment building in the Moscow region district of Zhukovsky, while drone debris sparked a fire at a shopping centre near the capital's suburbs, Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov said. Russian air defences shot down 180 drones on approach to Moscow, Sobyanin said, while the Russian defence ministry reported it had intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones overnight. The attack was the largest on Moscow in at least two years, Russia's state TASS news agency reported. 'One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is "What is going on?"' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. 'I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. 'For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what's going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.' The refinery is one of Russia's biggest, according to its website, producing more than a third of the Moscow region's fuel. It was last attacked by Ukraine on Tuesday, but officials said that fire was swiftly put out. Thursday's fire at the refinery was 'largely contained,' Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said hours afterward, adding that remaining hotspots were being extinguished. As Ukraine pressed its strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure, fuel supplies appeared to be under strain. Gas station chains in multiple regions have introduced restrictions on what drivers could buy. Russian independent news outlet Agentstvo reported that one out of every four gas stations has introduced some kind of restrictions. Footage captures the moment a Ukrainian drone blasted a Russian oil depot into the sky, sending a huge fireball billowing into the air as debris rained down around it Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18 Fire and smoke rise from a building following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia Authorities in the capital said in a statement hours after the attack that 'supplies of oil products to Moscow and the work of all gas stations in the city continue as normal.' The attack also temporarily halted flights from four Moscow airports, transport and aviation authorities said. The Russian business daily Kommersant counted more than 500 delayed or canceled flights at the airports, based on their online flight information. Since the war began in 2022, Russia has pummelled Ukraine with near-daily aerial barrages of drones and missiles. Putin has long sought to project stability in Russia, despite the economic and social effects of his four-year offensive on Ukraine. Russia's economy - on a war footing throughout the conflict - is struggling with high inflation, a labour shortage and high borrowing costs. The advance of forces on the Ukrainian battlefield has slowed this year, while Kyiv has multiplied attacks on Russian soil. Along with pledges of more diplomatic and military help at the G7 summit, Ukraine recently has gained momentum on the battlefield against Russia's bigger army, thanks to its high-tech drones, Western officials and analysts say. Longer-range drones are choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of Ukraine, in addition to disrupting oil production. Unverified videos on social media purported to show large columns of black smoke over the city's skyline, while another showed drones buzzing overhead Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow Smoke rises following what the authorities say is a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026 The attack came just hours before Putin was set to host Southeast Asian leaders at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the central city of Kazan French President Emmanuel Macron said the G7 summit was 'very important for Ukraine' because its supporters - crucially including the United States - vowed to help it, although he provided no details. The US under Trump has cut back assistance to Ukraine, leaving the Europeans as the biggest suppliers of military and financial aid. Trump and Zelensky have had an at times strained relationship. 'America is with us on Ukraine, that is very important,' Macron told reporters as he and Trump left the Palace of Versailles near Paris. At a summit of the G7 in France earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said Moscow should 'make a deal' to end the Ukraine war. Putin has repeatedly refused offers for face-to-face talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying that Moscow intends to capture Ukraine's eastern Donbas region by force. Russia's 2022 offensive on Ukraine has become Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed and large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine ravaged by fighting.