Vladimir Putin is facing growing humiliation on his own doorstep as Ukraine inflicts one embarrassing blow after another in Russia’s capital.

Thursday’s huge oil depot strike was the latest example of President Zelensky asserting himself well inside Russian territory.

It is the latest in a string of successful Ukrainian drone attacks that have increasingly targeted the infrastructure underpinning Russia’s war effort, with Putin even forced to massively scale back his Red Square military parade this year for fear of it being attacked by Kyiv’s drones. 

And in a sign of growing frustration, the Kremlin on Friday threatened ‘nuclear strikes with catastrophic consequences’ if the West refuses to accept Putin’s demands over Ukraine. 

The drone attack on Thursday saw scores of drones target Moscow, hitting its oil refinery for the second time this week. 

Moscow residents complained of black rain falling from the sky following the attack, which the city’s authorities denied. 

But Moscow’s official Telegram channel later warned residents of the affected district to stay indoors and keep their windows closed, adding that families with children, elderly people and asthmatics should leave the area immediately. 

‘We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it,’ Zelensky said. ‘But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.’ 

Earlier this month, Ukraine staged a massive attack on a major oil port in St Petersburg just hours before the opening of Putin’s flagship international investment summit.

Pictured: Smoke rising into the sky following a Ukrainian strike on a Russian oil refinery 

Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026

The lid of a Russian oil refinery at Kapotnya is blown into the air during a Ukrainian drone strike

The oil terminal on the Gulf of Finland is one of Russia’s largest fuel storage and export facilities, handling 12.5 million tonnes of fuel annually. 

The strike occurred shortly before the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, known as ‘Russia’s Davos’, where Putin seeks to project economic strength and international relevance despite Western sanctions and the war in Ukraine.

The attack made a mockery of the forum’s theme, ‘Pragmatic dialogue – the path to a stable future’, while also exposing glaring weaknesses in Russian air defences. 

The facility is located just 12 miles from the forum venue, yet Moscow failed to prevent the strike.

Over recent months, Kyiv has repeatedly struck refineries, oil terminals, pumping stations and export facilities deep inside Russian territory. 

Among the most significant targets were the NORSI refinery near Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s fourth largest refinery with capacity to process 16 million metric tonnes of oil annually. It suspended operations on April 5 following a drone attack.

The Moscow refinery was also hit on May 19, and the Ryazan refinery on the 15th, which accounts for almost five per cent of Russia’s refining volumes.

The Perm refinery, which processed around 12.6 million metric tonnes of oil in 2024, halted processing on May 7 after a drone attack caused a fire and damaged equipment. 

This week’s attack is the latest humiliation for Russia on the world stage as Kyiv’s increasingly effective long-range drone campaign continues to pile pressure on Putin (pictured last month at the Victory Day parade in Moscow)

Black smoke rises from the refinery where a fire broke out following a strike as firefighting efforts continue in Moscow

A woman walks outside a shopping mall as black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery

People are seen outside a shopping mall as black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery

Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery

Smoke filling the sky and blocking the light after the oil refinery was hit in Russia

Ukraine has also hit facilities at Tuapse on the Black Sea, the Syzran refinery in Samara, the Novokuibyshevsk refinery, the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa and the giant Ust-Luga processing complex.

Russian export infrastructure and navy have also come under sustained attack. 

Ukrainian drones have struck ports on both the Baltic and Black Seas, targeted oil tankers and military vessels, and damaged facilities linked to the key export terminal at Primorsk, one of Russia’s largest oil gateways.

The nearby naval base of Kronstadt was also targeted, with up to four ships hit, including the £120 million corvette Boykiy.

The 343ft-long vessel was like a ‘sitting duck’ despite promises that defences had been tightened this week due to the economic forum. 

The cumulative effect has been to place increasing strain on Russia’s energy sector, which remains the primary source of funding for the Kremlin’s war machine.

Ukraine’s stepped-up strikes on targets inside Russia allow Kyiv to negotiate the end of the war on an equal footing, President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month.

According to Bloomberg, Russia’s Finance Ministry and central bank have warned that the government’s budget deficit could widen to dangerous levels if military spending continues at its current pace.

In another humiliating blow this year, Putin was forced to strip tanks and heavy military hardware from its Victory Day parade

The scaled-back May 9 event in Red Square marked a significant departure from the traditional display of military strength, coming more than four years into a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and drained economic resources.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the changes were driven by security concerns, telling reporters: ‘Against the backdrop of this terrorist threat, every measure is being taken to minimise the danger.’

Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years on Thursday, sparking fires in and around the Russian capital and forcing evacuations at the country’s largest airport, officials said

Further footage shows bystanders screaming in terror as explosions ring out and smoke pouring from an apartment block

However, analysts believe the real reason went beyond safety fears, reflecting a deeper strain on Russia’s military as Ukraine steps up its offensive.

Speaking to the Daily Mail last month, Keir Giles of Chatham House said the move is likely linked to difficulties on the battlefield.

‘Putin hasn’t described the real reason for a decision like that, but we can guess that this is due to any one of a number of reasons all to do with the pressure that Russia is under trying to prosecute its war against Ukraine.’

He added that heavy losses may be limiting Russia’s ability to stage a full-scale display.

As Kyiv’s military strikes continue to intensify, the Kremlin on Friday threatened ‘nuclear strikes with catastrophic consequences’ if the West refuses to kowtow to Putin’s demands over Ukraine.

The warning from the dictator’s hardline foreign minister Sergei Lavrov came as Russia is being forced onto the back foot in the war, highlighted by the devastating attack this week on Moscow’s main oil refinery.

Claiming the Kremlin is under unprecedented threat from the West, Putin’s top diplomat alleged the current turmoil could spin out of control into a nuclear Third World War.

This state of affairs poses serious threats to global security,’ he said.

‘A direct confrontation between Nato and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences.’

He criticised Europe, including Britain, for a ‘dream of expansion’ into Putin’s backyard, intending to ‘absorb Ukraine and Moldova, while pulling Armenia into its sphere of influence’, as France offers nuclear protection to other Western states.

‘Nato has already expanded eastward, swallowing up Finland and Sweden,’ he complained.

‘As for Ukraine, it is increasingly eyed as the ‘striking fist’ of a future European military force, independent of the United States and independent of Nato.’

Claiming Russia was ready for dialogue, he made clear this must be on Putin’s terms, ‘reliably guaranteeing security along Russia’s western borders’ – not Western ‘ultimatums’ to Moscow.

Lavrov also warned Putin would exact ‘massive’ revenge for the humiliating destruction of Moscow Oil Refinery, which left the city shrouded in apocalyptic smoke.

Footage captures the moment a Ukrainian drone blasted a Russian oil depot into the sky, sending a huge fireball billowing into the air as debris rained down around it

Fire and smoke rise from a building following a Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow

‘After yet another Kyiv terrorist attack…. we will now conduct massive group strikes on a regular basis against targets whose condition directly affects Ukraine’s combat readiness,’ he said.

‘This is the task set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Vladimir Putin].’

With Russia losing 40 square miles on the frontline in March and being hammered in Ukrainian strikes on its oil industry, other Putin cheerleaders called for nuclear or overwhelming use of force by the Kremlin.

Putin guru Sergei Karaganov, known as ‘Professor Doomsday’, alleged that atomic weapons should be used against the West, not Ukraine.

‘We might have to, God forbid, launch a nuclear strike against the West,’ said the trigger-happy ideologue.

‘I advocate this in order to prevent and end this terrible war that the West has imposed on us, which it is waging on Ukrainian territory, destroying millions of Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Russians.

‘Besides all this, the overall international situation is developing in a direction where we are sliding toward a world war.

‘We are already in it. It was precisely to restore fear of nuclear weapons that I called for the possibility of a nuclear strike – to restore fear of nuclear weapons and end this war the West is waging against us in Ukraine.’

Ultranationalist billionaire and media owner Konstantin Malofeev said: ‘What else has to happen before we start fighting for real?’

He demanded: ‘Why aren’t we using the nuclear weapons that our ancestors created and stockpiled through the efforts of the entire country precisely for moments like this?’

Reservist commander Lieutenant General Andrei Gurulev, a pro-Putin MP, demanded to ‘strike the enemy mercilessly’ in response to the Moscow oil refinery humiliation.

‘We simply need to attack, destroy the entire leadership, destroy all command posts, bring all industry to its knees, achieve success at the front, and occupy cities and town,’ he said.

‘And then nothing will fly, including to the Moscow Oil Refinery.’

Former deputy premier Dmitry Rogozin demanded: ‘We just need to pull ourselves together and give the enemy a decisive slap in the face.’

Zelensky held talks on Thursday in Brussels with Nato and European Union leaders, and the German and Ukrainian defence ministers signed an agreement to jointly develop an air defence system to counter ballistic missiles.

He described it as the start of an ‘anti-ballistic missile coalition’ and invited others to join. 

Zelensky called on Europe and the United States to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions on Russia’s defence and energy sectors and broader economy to force President Vladimir Putin into ending the war. 

‘Everyone needs to put pressure on Putin: Ukrainians, absolutely all the Europeans, Americans, and Russians – it’s time to sober up and put pressure on your leader,’ he said.