Moscow residents complain of black rain after largest Ukrainian attack hits oil refinery

Moscow residents complain of black rain after largest Ukrainian attack hits oil refinery 19 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Laura Gozzi Smoke engulfs Moscow skyline after refinery hit by drone Specks of black oil have rained down on part of Moscow after a refinery was hit during the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones fired towards the Russian capital. Columns of thick smoke billowed high into the sky and 17 people were wounded in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov. Residents in the south-east of Moscow region told the BBC that a fine drizzle had left "unpleasant black spots" on their clothes. Moscow authorities denied that any "oil rain" had been falling. However, the city's official Telegram channel warned residents of the affected district to keep their windows closed and said families with children, elderly people and asthmatics should urgently leave the area. Almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying. An oil depot was struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone strike was an answer to last week's Russian attack on Kyiv, which set ablaze a major religious landmark, the Pechersk Lavra monastery. "We don't want this war and have never wanted it," Zelensky said. "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too." In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said strikes on Ukraine would be delivered "on a mass scale", adding he had been "convinced for a long time that words are not enough". Reuters The fire at the Kapotnya refinery was visible to motorists on the Moscow ringroad Fires broke out as the Kapotnya refinery in south-east Moscow was hit for the third time in a month and the second time this week, colouring the sky black with smoke. Several clips show the particularly dramatic moment the top of a large silo was blown off by a huge explosion, sending the roof of the oil storage tank flying dozens of metres into the air. A nearby shopping centre also caught fire, reportedly after drone debris fell on the building. In a video verified by the BBC, a drone can be seen crashing into the upper floors of a high-rise building, with glass and debris raining down its facade and into the courtyard beneath. In another verified video, a thick, dark, oily sheen could be seen coating the tarmac of a car park, while the ground beneath parked vehicles remains clear. "As soon as I stepped out of my apartment building, there was this fine, light drizzle," one local woman told the BBC. She noticed "unpleasant black spots" on her clothes and her friend's jacket, too, "ended up covered in black specks," she added. "We'll now be keeping an eye on whether our hair starts falling out because of petroleum products." Moscow's four airports were temporarily shut and more tha