Moscow oil refinery explosion was likely caused by Russia's own air defence missile

A Moscow oil refining plant caught fire following an explosion that was likely caused by Russia's own air defence missile, not a Ukrainian drone. The Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow and Moscow region the previous day was the largest since the start of the war. Drone attacks on Moscow continued today.

An explosion at Moscow's oil refining plant during an extensive drone strike on Moscow was likely caused by Russia's own air defence missile, not a Ukrainian drone. This conclusion is based on video footage that first circulated in TikTok's Chinese segment and subsequently reached Ukrainian Telegram channels.

Missile hits its own facility

The video, apparently filmed by a visitor from China, clearly shows a missile fired in the direction of a flying drone. However, the missile misses its target and flies directly towards a storage tank at the refining plant, after which an explosion occurs and the tank's lid flies into the air. OSINT analysts from Astra and two of three experts interviewed by "Agency" reached the same conclusion, the explosion was caused by a missile, not a drone. One analyst did not rule out that a low-flying drone, not visible in the recording, may also have hit the tank, and the missile was sent to intercept it.

According to Astra, the missile was fired from a Pantsir air defence system. Radio Free Europe journalist Mark Krutov pointed out that this system was installed near Moscow's oil refining plant only recently, in mid-June.

Largest drone strike since the start of the war

The Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow and Moscow region on 18 June 2024 was the largest in the history of the war so far. In addition to the fire at the oil refining plant, fires broke out at the Sadovod market and the Mega Belaya Dacha shopping centre. Several residential buildings were damaged in Moscow region and 17 people were injured.

On 19 June, Ukrainian armed forces continued their strikes on Moscow. This time the air strike occurred in the early afternoon and the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported within one and a half hours that air defence had destroyed 37 Ukrainian drones. No serious consequences from this strike are known.

A Muscovite's testimony

Among the stories collected by the media is a striking account from a Moscow resident named Igor, who describes how the war has fundamentally changed his worldview. At 19 years old when the war broke out, he did not fully grasp the significance of what was happening, but over time a strong anti-war conviction grew within him. Now he lives in fear of drone strikes and worries about friends whose homes may be in danger from the attacks. "I hate that if something happens, I can't do anything about it," he writes.