‘It Is Time to End This War’: Zelensky Says Russia Must Take Diplomatic Steps After Moscow Strike

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia must take the necessary diplomatic steps to end its war against Ukraine after confirming that Ukrainian forces struck Moscow’s main oil refinery for the second time in a week.

“Our long-range sanctions once again reached the Moscow region: for the second time in a week, the Moscow Oil Refinery was hit,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Thursday, June 18.

He added that Ukrainian forces also struck targets in Russia’s Rostov region and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

“This is a completely fair response to Russian strikes on our cities and communities, and another important result of our soldiers’ work against facilities that support the Russian war machine,” Zelensky said.

Moscow refinery hit again

The Moscow Oil Refinery, located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Kremlin, is one of Russia’s most important energy facilities and supplies up to 40% of the fuel consumed in the Russian capital.

Russian officials acknowledged that several drones reached the refinery during a large-scale overnight attack on Moscow and the surrounding region.

According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian air defenses intercepted 137 drones during the three-hour raid, although multiple targets were reportedly hit.

Russian media and monitoring channels reported fires at the refinery and damage to other sites across the Moscow region.

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Zelensky: “Time to end this war”

Zelensky thanked Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces, including the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Special Operations Forces (SSO), the Unmanned Systems Forces and a Ukrainian missile brigade for carrying out the strikes.

“These days, all our partners have noted the accuracy and effectiveness of our medium-range strikes and long-range sanctions,” he said.

“It is time to end this war, and Russia must take the necessary steps toward diplomacy.”

The latest strike followed another Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week that also targeted the Moscow refinery. Ukrainian officials have increasingly described long-range attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure as a means of raising the cost of the war for Moscow and pressuring the Kremlin toward negotiations.