▲ Local residents look at heavily damaged houses following overnight Russian airstrikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 15 local time.
Ukraine, having secured support from G7 leaders, has launched a large-scale offensive targeting the Russian capital of Moscow.
As Russia immediately warned of retaliation against Ukraine's escalated attacks, the war, now entering its fifth year, is once again spiraling into a crisis.
According to Reuters and AFP on Thursday, June 18 (local time), Moscow was hit by Ukrainian drone attacks overnight, sparking a massive fire at a nearby oil refinery.
The refinery is one of Russia's largest oil facilities, producing more than one-third of the fuel consumed in the Moscow region.
The facility is located just 16 kilometers from the Kremlin.
With Moscow's key infrastructure also targeted, more than 500 flights were suspended at four airports, including Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
According to the Russian military and local authorities, 550 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.
Of those, 200 were reportedly targeting Moscow.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency analyzed that "this attack targeting Moscow is the largest in two years."
This is not the first time Ukraine has targeted Moscow.
However, foreign media analyzed that this large-scale attack is threatening Russia by paralyzing key infrastructure.
Reuters interpreted the move as "sending a message to the Russian public by striking key infrastructure not far from the Kremlin without restriction."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a message to reporters, "If Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too."
Some analyses suggest that Ukraine is repeatedly launching large-scale attacks timed with international events to disrupt Russian President Vladimir Putin's diplomatic efforts.
In Kazan, western Russia, the Russia-ASEAN Summit has been underway since the previous day, with President Putin in attendance.
On June 3, St. Petersburg, which hosts the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum—often dubbed the "Russian Davos"—was also attacked.
Russia immediately warned of retaliation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov foreshadowed retaliation, saying, "It was no coincidence that the president announced regular, large-scale collective airstrikes following the previous terrorist attacks in Kyiv."
The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was also hit by Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks overnight.
This marks the second attack in a week, following a large-scale Russian strike on June 15 that killed two people.
Air raid alerts were issued across most parts of Ukraine, including Kyiv, on this day.
In the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, one person was killed in a Russian drone strike.
Ukraine's latest attack is interpreted as an extension of the G7 summit the previous day, where leaders reached a consensus on strengthening pressure against Russia.
Notably, at this G7 summit, a shift in attitude was detected even from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously been lukewarm about pressuring Russia, as he mentioned the possibility of resuming oil sanctions against Russia, drawing significant attention.
On the same day, Ukraine signed an air defense agreement with Germany to receive 350 air defense missiles and ground-based radar systems, boosting its diplomatic efforts to isolate Russia from the international community.
At a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Brussels on Thursday, President Zelenskyy urged for air defense support and sanctions against Russia, saying, "We have means strong enough to lead Russia to a path where diplomacy is the only option."
At the allies' meeting, a $1 billion (approximately 1.5 trillion won) support package under the "Priority Ukraine Requirements List" (PURL) was announced.
PURL is a program in which European nations provide financial support to purchase U.S. weapons.
Attention is also focused on whether peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could resume following a previous agreement between the United States and Iran.
Discussions on ending the war between the two sides, which had been mediated by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner, have been suspended since March due to the situation in the Middle East.
With growing calls recently from European allies to engage in direct dialogue with Russia, speculation is rising that a negotiating representative at the EU level could be appointed.
AFP reported the previous day, citing an EU official, that "the office of the President of the European Council, led by European Council President António Costa, made brief contact to open a channel of communication with President Putin."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.