Russia says it downed over 150 drones, in one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks of the war

Ukraine launched a massive 158-drone barrage against Russia on Sunday, with the attack sparking a large fire at a major oil refinery in Moscow, officials said. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the attack, one of the largest from Kyiv since the war began, with 15 regions struck, including the country’s capital. 

While the Kremlin claimed that all 158 drones were intercepted, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the debris from two drones shot over the city crashed into a Gazprom oil refinery, igniting a fire. 

Videos on social media quickly spread showing Russian firefighters working to put out the large blaze at the state-owned energy facility.

The refinery is one of Russia’s biggest, making it a key target for Kyiv as it looks to damage the Kremlin’s energy infrastructure. 

Officials said another drone strike hit a power station in the neighboring Tver region. 

Russian officials recorded at least 46 drones over the Kursk region, 34 in the Bryansk region, 28 in the Voronezh region, and 14 over the Belgorod region — all of which border Ukraine. 

The air attack came after Kyiv vowed to retaliate over Russia’s own large missile and drone barrage last week, which fired more than 200 projectiles at half of Ukraine’s regions. 

Moscow claimed the attack was aimed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with it causing rolling blackouts throughout the country. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday’s retaliatory attack was “justified for Ukrainians to be able to respond to Russian terror precisely where it’s necessary.

“To fully protect and safeguard our cities from this aggression, we need greater support for Ukraine’s rightful response,” Zelensky added on X. 

“This includes decisions to carry out long-range strikes on Russia’s missile launch sites, destroy Russian military logistics, and conduct joint efforts to shoot down missiles and drones – everything that will help us resist Russian evil.”

Sunday’s attack notably fired more than three times as many drones as Kyiv’s last barrage on western Russia, which saw 45 drones launched Aug. 21. 

Since the start of the year, Ukraine has stepped up its drone warfare against Russia, attacking its oil refineries and airfields in an attempt to slow the enemy invasion. 

Russia has been driving deeper and deeper into eastern Ukraine, with the Kremlin keen on seizing the city of Pokrovsk, a critical logistic hub for Kyiv. 

With Post wires