War in Ukraine: Russians angry after major Ukrainian drone attack

Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Thursday, June 18, 2026, on the 1,575th day of the conflict.

Fact of the day

According to the official Russian news agency TASS, this would be the largest attack against Moscow in at least two years. Early in the morning, Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Moscow, causing fires in the region around the Russian capital.

Several projectiles hit the refinery of the Russian company Gazpromneft located in the Kapotnia district, in the southeast of Moscow. Spectacular bombings which come at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes senior Asian leaders at a summit in Kazan. And where it is a question, among other things, of the continuation of deliveries of Russian hydrocarbons to Asia.

At least 17 people, including two children, were injured, according to the governor.

Today’s statement

« We do not want this war and have never wanted it (…) But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too »

Following the attacks on Moscow, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said they were meant to show the Russian population that “one man”, President Vladimir Putin, was responsible for continuing the war.

“The main thing is that the Russian people are starting to feel that one man, Putin, is leading this war while ordinary people are paying the price,” he said in an audio message sent to the press. Then adding: “We do not want this war and have never wanted it […] But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too.”

The number of the day

522. This is the number of remains that kyiv said it received from Moscow. These would mainly be suspected fighters.

“As a result of repatriation efforts, the bodies of 522 deceased individuals were returned to Ukraine. According to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular fighters,” the Ukrainian Center for Prisoners of War said on Telegram. The deceased must still be identified, the press release specifies.

Ukraine, for its part, handed over 33 bodies to Russia, according to Russian MP Shamsaël Saraliev, member of the parliamentary coordination group on the conflict, quoted by the RBK media. Information that kyiv has not confirmed.

These exchanges constitute one of the rare outcomes of negotiations between the two countries.

The trend

The Russians are angry. In response to the Ukrainian drone attack, Russia threatened Ukraine with further “massive strikes” against its military installations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not mention the attack in his speech during the plenary session of the summit he is holding in Kazan. But it was his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, who was responsible for responding. Asked about this attack, the head of Russian diplomacy recalled that President Putin had already announced that Russia would carry out “massive strikes” against Ukraine. “Our armed forces are working on it and will continue to work on it,” he said.

A truce between the two countries is therefore far from being signed.