US : Ukraine's deadly attack on Moscow's main oil refinery

 Ukraine's deadly attack on Moscow's main oil refinery

Ukraine launched a major drone attack on a key oil refinery in the Russian capital Moscow early Thursday, the second such attack on the same facility in a week, Russian authorities said.

According to Russian officials, multiple drone strikes targeted the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district of southeast Moscow. An explosion and fire followed the attack.

The mayor of Moscow said more than 40 drones heading towards Moscow were shot down by Russian air defense systems. However, a shopping center was damaged by falling debris. He said air defense forces were still working to repel the massive drone attack.

A video verified by US media outlet CNN showed the scene of an explosion at the refinery. The video showed thick black smoke rising from one part of the facility. Later, another powerful explosion shook the entire area.

The same refinery was also hit by a drone attack on Tuesday. At the time, Russian authorities said the attack damaged a facility at the refinery.

In recent months, Ukraine has been carrying out a series of drone attacks on various Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, naval bases and military installations. Russian officials claim that through these long-range attacks, Ukraine is gradually making Russian energy infrastructure a primary target.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has hinted at new measures against Russia as there has been no significant progress in talks on a ceasefire. He told reporters on the sidelines of the G-7 summit that Washington is planning to impose new tough sanctions on Russia's oil supply sector very soon. He also said that these sanctions will be implemented once oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz are normalized.