Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery and disrupted commercial flights across Moscow overnight Thursday in one of its biggest attacks in more than four years of war.
Fire and dark smoke plumes erupted into the air as Ukrainian drones made it past Russian defense systems, in a second wave of attacks on the refinery in the last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.”
Several drones hit the Moscow Oil Refinery on the southeastern outskirts of the city, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Flights at four Moscow airports were stopped amid the strikes, the Russian Transport Ministry said.
Images of the burning refinery have gone viral, with many online using it to troll Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
One of the meme images shows a panicked and shirtless Putin riding the lid of the refinery as its blasts off into the sky, with a smiling Zelensky flashing a victory sign along with a posted note that reads, “With Love, from President Zelensky.”
Other viral images show the explosion literally blowing off the lid on Putin’s head, with others pointing fun at the lid’s UFO-like shape to recreate an alien attack on Moscow.
The memes circulating social media ultimately show off the new reality of the war for Putin: that Moscow is now a clear and regular target for Ukraine’s ever-advancing drones.
Thick plumes of smoke and flames rise from an oil refinery in Moscow, Russia, on June 18, 2026. SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERSPutin was hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kazan, 430 miles east of Moscow, during the attack.
One video shared by Zelensky showed a large tank cover flying hundreds of feet in the air.
Additional footage showed multiple strikes accompanied by loud explosions across Moscow.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claims it shot down 555 Ukrainian drones while intercepting 200 that were targeting Moscow.
Several drones hit the Moscow Oil Refinery on the southeastern outskirts of the city, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. @ZelenskyyUa/XIt was not immediately clear how many drones made it past the defense systems
Thursday’s drone strike is one of the largest by Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion over four years ago in February 2022.
Zelensky threatened that he would continue ordering the destructive strikes as long as Russia’s attacks continued.
Smoke rises following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Moscow, Russia, on June 18, 2026. @ZelenskyyUa/X“We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it,” Zelensky told reporters Thursday. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”
The attack was in response to Russia’s deadly strike on a 1,000-year-old monastery in Kyiv that killed at least 10 people on Monday.
Zelensky claimed he had full justification for the strikes.
The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had held “an important coordination call” with President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron that may “bring about significant change.” @ZelenskyyUa/X
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 on the southeastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026. AFP via Getty Images“This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors’ work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine,” Zelensky said on X.
Following the attacks, Zelensky called on Russia to make a deal to end the ongoing war as the two countries continue to trade drone strikes.
“In recent days, all of our partners have noted the precision and effectiveness of our mid-range strikes and long-range sanctions. It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he said.
The 48-year-old president was back home from his trip to Évian-les-Bains, France, for the G7 summit, where he discussed Ukraine’s war efforts with several European leaders and President Trump.
Fire and smoke rise from a building following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, on June 18, 2026. SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS
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 on the southeastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesTrump, following a one-on-one meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, agreed that Putin should begin negotiations with Ukraine to end the fighting.
“Russia should make a deal. Russia has lost tremendous amounts of people. So has Ukraine,” Trump said.
Trump, Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron held a one-hour meeting at the conclusion of the summit to discuss Ukraine’s war efforts.
“We had unanimity that Russia is not winning,” Zelensky later told a summit hosted by Reuters, adding that Trump “was very positive that he can help us more on missiles.”
Trump told reporters he was willing to reinstate sanctions on Russia as Zelensky urged him to arrange peace talks between Ukraine and Russia “before the winter.”
Kremlin officials claimed the G7 leaders had probably “pumped” harmful ideas to Trump during the summit.
“One can presume that Trump was pumped with … harmful ideas. We understand that the Europeans are exercising an unhelpful influence here,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state TV.
Ushakov said Thursday’s attack pushed back the prospects of Zelensky and Putin meeting.
With Post wires
