Scores of drones targeted Moscow overnight, hitting the Russian capital’s oil refinery for the second time this week, as Ukraine retaliated for a strike that damaged a 1,000-year-old monastery in Kyiv. The attack – Ukraine’s biggest on Moscow so far – came as Britain announced it would send 150,000 more drones to Kyiv, a deal worth £750 million funded by the UK’s £2.26 billion Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration loan, itself backed by seized Russian assets.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the funding was helping deliver “the vital military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked war.” She added: “Our support for Ukraine is steadfast. I am proud that we are providing vital support, and we will continue to do all we can to keep pressure on Russia.”
“UK to send 150,000 drones to Ukraine as Moscow oil refinery hit repeatedly in retaliation”
The overnight barrage followed a Russian drone and missile attack on Monday that killed at least 10 people across Ukraine and damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a 1,000-year-old UNESCO-listed site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes on Moscow were retaliation for that attack. In a voice message to reporters, he warned: “We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it. But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”
State media claimed Russia had shot down 992 drones, four long-range cruise missiles and 10 aerial bombs in 24 hours. Despite that, the Moscow Oil Refinery was repeatedly hit with explosives. Zelenskiy, due to attend a meeting of Ukraine’s military allies in Brussels on Thursday, said the supply of air defences through a NATO programme and the creation of an anti-ballistic missile system would be discussed. He called on Europe and the United States to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions on its defence and energy sectors and broader economy. “Everyone need to put pressure on Putin: Ukrainians, absolutely all the Europeans, Americans, and Russians – it’s time to sober up and put pressure on their leader,” he said.