The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is entering a new and alarming phase of total war, as the leadership of both countries issues unprecedented threats of mutual destruction targeting each other’s capitals. Tensions escalated sharply following a large-scale Ukrainian attack on Moscow, in which nearly 200 drones struck a major oil refinery, triggering a “black rain” of petroleum and causing severe damage to critical infrastructure.
Read also: “It’s raining oil” in Moscow: Tank lid blasted into the air after Ukrainian drone strike on oil depot (Video)
Watch video footage of the Ukrainian attack on the Moscow oil refinery:
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 18, 2026
Dozens of drones punched through Russian air defenses overnight, reaching the Moscow Oil Refinery just 14 km from the Kremlin.
The facility supplies around 40% of the Moscow region’s petrol and 50% of its diesel fuel. pic.twitter.com/NOIhMreLZj
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) June 18, 2026
❗️Additional footage of the epic moment when the lid of the oil tank was ripped off after a 🇺🇦Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike on the 🇷🇺Moscow oil depot. pic.twitter.com/qZEkZNUwmX
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 18, 2026
Footage of a Ukrainian attack drone hitting a storage tank at the Moscow Oil Refinery this morning, sending the tank lid perfectly soaring hundreds of feet. pic.twitter.com/2GIHEGk52M
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 18, 2026
Moscow region. pic.twitter.com/o7vB9u6gkH
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 18, 2026
BREAKING:
Huge explosions at the Moscow Oil Refinery after it’s struck by several Ukrainian long-range drones.
Looks like Moscow has a day or two of “black rain” ahead of it. pic.twitter.com/1dJGDO9lYI
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 18, 2026
🔥🛢️ The Moscow Oil Refinery came under large-scale aerial attack early this morning, much larger than the one carried out just two days ago.
📍 The facility processes around 11.6 million tonnes of oil annually and is one of the most important fuel suppliers for the Russian… https://t.co/vZZlDob7NK pic.twitter.com/BAPwEP2Cpm
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 18, 2026
A MANPADS operator engaging a Ukrainian strike drone on its approach to the Moscow Oil Refinery. https://t.co/XKYcd7m0py pic.twitter.com/1wxlCBCmKT
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 18, 2026
“If Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn too,” Zelensky warns
The massive strike, which left 17 people seriously injured, forced the closure of four airports and triggered the emergency evacuation of vulnerable groups, prompting an immediate and sharp response from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a statement, he stressed that the strike was a direct response to Russia’s attack on the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv. Speaking in dramatic terms, he declared: “We do not want this war and we never did. But if Ukraine is burning, then your Moscow will burn too.”
Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a fully justified response to… pic.twitter.com/NhFl4FlT9L
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 18, 2026
Lavrov’s furious ultimatum: massive strikes on Kyiv to follow Moscow refinery attack
The response from the Russian side was equally resolute. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that retaliation against Ukraine would be “massive in scale,” stressing that “words are no longer enough.” Speaking to journalists, he recalled that President Vladimir Putin had announced some time ago Russia’s intention to carry out coordinated large-scale strikes in response to attacks that Moscow attributes to Kyiv. Lavrov further argued that the recent Ukrainian drone assault on the greater Moscow area demands a concrete response from Russia — not statements of condemnation, but action. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was hosting regional leaders at a summit in Kazan, maintained his silence, offering no comment on the attack on his own country.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s sardonic post
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rounded out the exchange of statements with a pointed, sardonic post on X (formerly Twitter), directed squarely at the residents of Moscow. As he wrote: “One of the most frequently asked questions by Muscovites this morning was: ‘What is going on?’ The answer is simple: your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you understand what is going on, ask Putin when he plans to stop it.“
One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is “What is going on?”
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.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) June 18, 2026
In Moscow, everything is going according to plan.
Not Russia’s plan, though. https://t.co/xvvbh7NCW1
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) June 18, 2026
