Moscow claims record drone attack as oil refinery and warehouse complex in region catch fire
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that the Russian capital had come under what he described as the largest drone attack to date, with more than 1,600 drones reportedly heading toward Moscow.
As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by the BBC Russian Service.
Sobyanin claimed that since Saturday, September 19, more than 1,600 drones had allegedly been shot down on the approaches to Moscow, including 450 on their way toward the city.
He said several UAVs reached the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery. There were no fatalities, Sobyanin added.
According to an OSINT analysis by Astra, the Moscow Oil Refinery (Gazpromneft-Moscow Refinery JSC) caught fire as a result of the attack.
The facility, located in Moscow’s Kapotnya district, is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries. It has a refining capacity of 11 million metric tons of crude oil per year. The refinery supplies about 40% of Moscow’s fuel market and 70% of the Moscow region’s demand for gasoline and jet fuel.
In addition, according to the findings of an OSINT analysis by Astra, the attack also hit a warehouse complex operated by Modern Warehouse Technologies LLC in the village of Sofyino in the Moscow region.
The company’s production and warehouse complex consists of six buildings with a total area of 290,000 square meters. A Pantsir air-defense missile and gun system is located 500 meters from the site.
Earlier, Governor of the Moscow region Andrey Vorobyov confirmed the attack on the region and said the most serious consequences were recorded in the Ramensky district, where Sofyino is located.
It was also reported that Aeroflot had begun adjusting its flight schedule because of the drone attack on Moscow. Due to temporary restrictions on aircraft departures and arrivals at airports in the Moscow aviation hub, the airline was forced to delay some departures on September 20 and cancel several flights.
Some flights arriving at Sheremetyevo Airport were diverted to alternate airports, Aeroflot said.
According to Telegram channels, more than 150 flights at Sheremetyevo were canceled or delayed following the drone attack on Moscow.
As reported by Ukrinform, on September 16 and during the night of September 17, 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck several key military targets belonging to Russian forces. The targets included S-400 launchers, a UAV launch site and logistics facilities supporting Russian occupation forces.