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Sarah Hooper | METRO<\/p>\n
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Moscow is today shrouded in noxious black smoke causing oil rain to fall after a drone strike on a refinery.<\/p>\n<p>The onslaught \u2013 thought to be Ukraine\u2019s biggest attack on the Russian capital so far \u2013 caused significant damage across the city as air defences struggled to repel the drones.<\/p>\n<p>State media claimed Russia had shot down 992 drones, four long-range cruise missiles and 10 aerial bombs in 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, Moscow Oil Refinery was repeatedly hit with explosives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28829896\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301909943-d9e6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"Smoke rises from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. SOCIAL MEDIA\/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.\" width=\"646\" height=\"436\" \/><\/div><figcaption>A huge plume of black, acrid smoke rises over the city of Moscow following the drone strike (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28829893\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301902770-67a9.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"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 south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026. Moscow was fending off a "large-scale" drone attack from Ukraine, with several drones reaching an oil refinery, the city's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said early on June 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Large parts of the city have been covered in oil rain after a series of explosions at a refinery (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">Sign up for all of the latest stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Start your day informed with Metro’s\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/news-updates\/?signup-source=news-article\" data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\">News Updates<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0newsletter or get\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/newsletters\/breaking-news?ito=news-article&?signup_source=news-article-link\" data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\">Breaking News<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>alerts the moment it happens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>One resident said: \u2018This is pure hell. I\u2019ve never felt such terror.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Another asked: \u2018Why won\u2019t this madman stop his crazy and pointless war and end the death and destruction?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Despite several large fires and multiple explosions, Russia this afternoon insisted that the fuel supply situation was \u2018proceeding as normal\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Following the bombings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was in retaliation to Russia damaging a historic monastery in Kyiv earlier this week.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28829897\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301919193-bdcd.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"People walk in a park as 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. Moscow was fending off a "large-scale" drone attack from Ukraine, with several drones reaching an oil refinery, the city's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said early on June 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"646\" height=\"474\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Moscow repelled many of the drones, but enough got through the defences to cause significant damage (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28829965\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301904554-fae9-e1781783560988.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"Fire and smoke rise from a building following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a social media video. Social Media\/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NEWS USE ONLY. VERIFICATION: -Building layout and facade, terrain matched archive and satellite imagery -Date verified from Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin statement confirming attack on nearby oil refinery and that -No older versions of the video found posted online before June 18 TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\" width=\"646\" height=\"552\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Electronic warfare and air defence missiles shot down multiple incoming drones \u2013 redirecting several to hit residential buildings (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said: \u2018We don\u2019t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it\u2026 but if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In reaction to the drone attack, a large-scale security operation was launched around the Kremlin.<\/p>\n<p>Red Square has been sealed off and machine-gunners have been placed on the towers and Lenin\u2019s Mausoleum.<\/p>\n<p>Residential buildings and one of the city\u2019s largest shopping centres have also been damaged. Some reports suggesting they were hit by intercepted drones.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28826502\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301897997-a0be.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"TOPSHOT - 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. Moscow was fending off a "large-scale" drone attack from Ukraine, with several drones reaching an oil refinery, the city's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said early on June 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Between tower blocks, black smoke piled up as the fire worsened (Picture: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28826510\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301885191-26e6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel shows the damage in a country side after a Ukrainian drone attack outside Moscow on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel via AP)\" width=\"646\" height=\"485\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Damage was also reported on the outskirts of the city (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Counter-attack electronic warfare and air defence missiles are being blamed for redirecting missiles that hit residential buildings and one of the city\u2019s largest shopping centres.<\/p>\n<div class=\"trending-now trending-post-strip\">\n<h2 class=\"trending-post-strip-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/trending\/?ico=trending-post-strip_more\" data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\">Trending Now<\/a><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"trending-now__list\">\n<li class=\"trending-now__list-item accent--world accent--news\" data-ico=\"trending-ico\">\n<div class=\"article-card\">\n<div class=\"article-card__image\">\n<div class=\"img-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-metro_16_9_medium size-metro_16_9_medium wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_299958090-d14d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646&h=363&crop=1\" alt=\"Police stand guard outside the morgue in Babahoyo, Ecuador, on June 3, 2026. Ecuadoran police said on June 3 that they found eight bodies in plastic bags in a southwestern drug trafficking hotspot, where eight people had gone missing on May 31. (Photo by Gerardo MENOSCAL \/ AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"646\" height=\"363\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-card__inner\">\n<h3 class=\"article-card__title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/16\/missing-brit-girl-found-ecuador-jungle-american-man-amid-trafficking-fears-28805046\/\" data-ico=\"trending-post-strip_item_1\">Missing teenager found in Ecuador ‘after being trafficked from the UK’<\/a><\/h3>\n<div class=\"article-card__footer\">\n<div class=\"article-card__meta\"><a class=\"channel-glyph\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/world\/\"><span class=\"channel-glyph__label\">World<\/span><\/a><span class=\"article-card__date\">1 day ago<\/span><span class=\"article-card__author\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/author\/natalie-penza\/\" data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\"><strong>Natalie Penza<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"trending-now__list-item accent--uk accent--news\"><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/16\/brit-remigration-activist-wants-carry-charlie-kirks-legacy-attacked-manchester-28801454\/\" data-ico=\"trending-post-strip_item_2\">British Charlie Kirk wannabe beaten up debating people in Manchester<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"trending-now__list-item accent--world accent--news\"><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/17\/bungee-instructor-forgot-attach-rope-seen-leaping-off-bridge-kids-28816360\/\" data-ico=\"trending-post-strip_item_3\">Bungee instructor who ‘forgot to attach rope’ seen leaping off bridge with kids<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"trending-now__list-item accent--uk accent--news\"><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/17\/body-found-former-police-station-neighbours-noticed-stench-28814081\/\" data-ico=\"trending-post-strip_item_4\">Woman’s body only discovered when smell got so bad neighbours raised concerns<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p>Moscow\u2019s main airports suspended all flights and traffic came to a standstill on the main ring road.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s attack marks Ukraine\u2019s success at turning the tables in Putin\u2019s war.<\/p>\n<p>The Russian president is failing to gain significant traction on the front line while losing ground in several areas.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Zelensky said the war can stop if Putin engages in genuine peace talks, but says he has repeatedly refused to do so.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28826513\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301885086-d270.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"This photo provided by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel shows firefighters extinguish a burning car after a Ukrainian drone attack outside Moscow on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel via AP)\" width=\"646\" height=\"485\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Cars in Moscow were set ablaze as the drones attacked (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28826504\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_301897362-02b1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\" alt=\"Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following what the authorities say is a Ukrainian drone strike in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. SOCIAL MEDIA\/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.\" width=\"646\" height=\"445\" \/><\/div><figcaption>Large plumes of black smoke were seen across the skyline (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>____<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/18\/moscow-blanketed-noxious-smoke-ukraine-launches-biggest-attack-russia-yet-28826566\/\">https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/18\/moscow-blanketed-noxious-smoke-ukraine-launches-biggest-attack-russia-yet-28826566\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=68459"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68465,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68459\/revisions\/68465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=68459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=68459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=68459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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