Kremlin Praises Performance of Russian Air Defenses After Record Drone Attack on Moscow

Key Points:

• The Kremlin praised the "high performance" of Russian air defense systems after the largest Ukrainian air raid on Moscow since the war began, which caused major fires at a Gazprom Neft-operated oil refinery supplying much of the capital's fuel.
• An eight-year-old girl was killed and at least 17 others wounded during the drone attack, which followed a previous strike on the same refinery earlier in the week, damaging key refinery units.
• Some reports and social media footage suggest that stray Russian air defense missiles may have caused additional damage to the refinery, though these claims have not been independently verified.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed the damage to the refinery and emphasized ongoing Russian military strikes on Ukrainian cities, asserting that Russia maintains the upper hand in eastern Ukraine.
• Ukrainian authorities reported further Russian attacks killing civilians in eastern Ukraine and drone strikes in the Black Sea that killed a merchant ship crew member, while the Kremlin rejected Ukrainian calls for negotiations following the Moscow attack.