16 people injured in drone attacks on Moscow, authorities report
More than a dozen people have been injured in Ukrainian drone attacks on the Moscow region, authorities have said.
Moscow’s regional governor said 16 people were injured in drone attacks that hit the Russian capital’s oil refinery for the second time this week.
Russia, for its part, fired missiles into Kyiv, also for the second time this week, following an attack that damaged Kyiv’s landmark 1,000-year-old monastery and drew international condemnation.
Bryony Gooch18 June 2026 10:30
Russia is firing warning shots off the Isle of Wight: How worried should Britain be?
The popular route is regularly traversed by ferries, yachts, commercial ships and the international high-speed rail service, the Eurostar.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson insisted that that the event was “an isolated incident” that was “not linked” to the UK’s interception of the Russian shadow fleet tanker the Smyrtos over the weekend.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 10:15
Zelensky says Moscow oil refinery hit and asks Russia to choose diplomacy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces attacked the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya for the second time in a week as he said it is about time the war ended.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
He said the attack was a “fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities” and against the facilities that “sustain Russia’s war machine”.
“It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine is stepping up its aerial attacks on Russia – and in particular its critical oil infrastructure – to demonstrate to allies in the US and Europe that it is now of the offensive and Russia is on the defensive, giving Kyiv the strategic edge to end the war.
Zelensky’s G7 allies issued a joint statement after this week’s G7 summit noting Ukraine’s battlefield progress and that Russia is sustaining record losses.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 10:00
Zelensky will join Ukraine alliance meeting at Nato, Rutte says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will join a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, an alliance that provides military aid for Kyiv, at Nato headquarters in Brussels today, secretary general Mark Rutte said.
The meeting comes after Zelensky also attended a gathering of G7 leaders in France, which ended with a joint statement of support for Kyiv and a vow to increase pressure on Russia.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 09:45
Kyic faces ballistic missiles attack overnight
Kyiv came under the second air attack this week as Russia unleashed ballistic missiles on the Ukrainian capital, city officials said.
“The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles. Stay in safe places until the air raid alert is over!” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a Telegram post early on Thursday, without details.
A Reuters witness heard explosions in Kyiv, and authorities in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy said one person was killed in a drone attack. Air strike alerts were issued for most of Ukraine’s territory.
Earlier this week, a 1,000-year-old monastery that symbolises Ukraine’s spiritual and cultural heritage was badly damaged in a major attack by Russia that killed 10 people nationwide. The attack drew condemnation from European leaders. Russia denied striking the monastery.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 09:30
Watch: Trump claims Moscow losing more troops than Kyiv as he admits Putin on ‘the offensive’Trump claims Moscow losing more troops than Kyiv as he admits Putin on ‘the offensive’
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 09:15
Photos show massive destruction and oil tanker lid blown in Moscow
A screengrab from a video shared by Zelensky shows the lid of an oil tanker of Moscow oil refinery blown in the air (X/@ZelenskyyUa)
Fire and smoke rise from a building following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow (Social media)
Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow (AFP/Getty)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following what the authorities say is a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow (Reuters)
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 09:05
One killed as drones spark fire at two commercial facilities in Russia’s Rostov
A drone attack killed one, injured another two people and caused a fire at two commercial facilities in the southern Russian region of Rostov, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram.
He added that a locomotive was also damaged after drones attacked the town of Gukovo, saying that defence systems continued to repel the attack.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 08:44
Sweden, Norway and Canada to announce defence package for Ukraine
Sweden, Norway and Canada will announce a new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) package to supply Ukraine with US weapons, Sweden’s defence minister Pal Jonson said in Brussels today.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 08:34
Zelensky says Moscow oil refinery hit and asks Russia to choose diplomacy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said his forces attacked the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya for the second time in a week as he said it is about time the war ended.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region – for the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
He said the attack was a “fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities” and against the facilities that “sustain Russia’s war machine”.
“It is time the war ended, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine is stepping up its aerial attacks on Russia – and in particular its critical oil infrastructure – to demonstrate to allies in the US and Europe that it is now of the offensive and Russia is on the defensive, giving Kyiv the strategic edge to end the war.
Zelensky’s G7 allies issued a joint statement after this week’s G7 summit noting Ukraine’s battlefield progress and that Russia is sustaining record losses.
Arpan Rai18 June 2026 08:18