Did Moscow receive ‘black rain’ after Ukraine hits oil refinery in biggest strike since war?

For more than four years, Russia has launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hitting its capital, cities, setting buildings and innocent people ablaze. However, Ukraine's Thursday (June 18) drone barrage on Moscow is an indication of a shift in the long-standing war, which was started by Russia.

Ukraine fired close to 200 drones towards the Russian capital, making it the largest attack by the war-hit nation since the full-scale invasion. It hit Russia's vital energy facility and set the strategic Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya on fire, wounding 17 people in the region, BBC reported.

Afterwards, the sight of a darkened sky and black rain brought the front lines directly to the Kremlin’s doorstep. Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying that around 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the nation in 24 hours, the report noted.

Following the strike, four airports of the Russian capital were temporarily shut and over 500 flights were cancelled or delayed.

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Ukraine sets refinery ablaze with largest attack on Moscow

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We take a look.

'Black rain' in Moscow as Ukraine sets ablaze oil refinery

A fine mist left "unpleasant black spots" on our clothes, locals in the south-east of Moscow region told the news outlet. At first, Moscow officials denied that any "oil rain" had been falling.

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However, city's official Telegram channel's warning to residents of the affected districts contradicted Moscow authorities' attempts to downplay the crisis. Locals in the area were asked to keep their windows shut, and families, children, and older people with asthma problems were urgently ordered to evacuate.

A series of social media videos started doing rounds online in the aftermath of the deadly explosions. The viral videos show cars, windowsills, and streets covered in a thick smoke, a dark cloud.

According to the report, Russia's defence ministry confirmed an attack on an oil depot in the southern Rostov region, with one person killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the operation and justified the strike as an answer to Russia's attack on Kyiv last week, which put its historic Pechersk Lavra monastery on fire.

Zelensky's warning was straight: "We don't want this war and have never wanted it. But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quick to respond to the strike and the Ukrainian leader's warning, saying that strikes on Kyiv would be delivered "on a mass scale." Lavrov added that he remained "unconvinced for a long time that words are not enough," according to the report.

Public panic after fire at Kapotnya refinery

The colour of the sky turned black, and was covered with smoke, after a fire broke out following the attack on the Kapotnya refinery in south-east Moscow.

Multiple clips recorded the striking moment a huge explosion blew apart the top of a large silo, sending the oil tank's roof several dozen metres in the air.

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A drone debris fell on a building, leaving a nearby shopping centre leaving ablaze. The BBC verified a video showing a drone crashing into the upper floor of a tall building, causing glass and debris to fall into the building's courtyard below.

In another verified video from the outlet, the car park tarmac was coated in a dense, dark, oily residue, while the ground directly beneath parked vehicles remained clear.

A woman resident told the publication, "As soon as I stepped out of my apartment building, there was this fine, light drizzle."

"I noticed an unpleasant black spot on her clothes and her friend's jacket, too. I ended up covered in black specks. We'll now be keeping an eye on whether our hair starts falling out because of petroleum products," she added.

A man who lives near the targeted refinery said he woke up when his building began "shaking" at dawn. Later, he smelled a strong burning smell and found it difficult to breathe. "It's all very frightening. Before, I wasn't so scared, but now it is almost a panic," he told the news outlet.

Though local officials across Russia prohibited the publication of the images in the aftermath of drone strikes.

A shift in the Russia-Ukraine war?

Ukraine's massive escalation across Russia, as well as Moscow and St Petersburg have been a sharp indication of Zelenskyy's objective of "bringing the war home" to ordinary Russians.

As Kyiv has developed its long-range capabilities, drone attacks on Moscow--about 500 km (310 miles) from Ukraine--have become more frequent. The first successful Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian capital occurred in spring 2023, but they were occasional and usually limited in scale.

Kyiv's Thursday drone barrage raises serious questions about the effectiveness of air defence systems protecting key infrastructure in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the large-scale strike on the Russian capital.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X: "One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is 'What is going on?"

"I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what's going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it."

With inputs from agencies