Russia Repels 644 Ukrainian Drones as Trump Calls Attacks on Russian Refineries ‘Disgrace’

Oct. 16, 2026 Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport. Yaroslav Chingaev / Moskva News Agency Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that 644 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over 26 Russian regions and annexed Crimea overnight, as U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries a “disgrace.” Vladimir region Governor Alexander Avdeyev said air defenses repelled an attack aimed at municipal heating infrastructure serving the regional capital. According to Avdeyev, there were “minor” damages. Unverified reporting by monitoring channels that shared video of an explosion against the dark sky claimed it targeted a data center owned by tech giant Yandex in Vladimir, which was previously damaged in last weekend’s strike. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down 94 Ukrainian drones on approach to the capital between Thursday evening and Friday morning. Nearly 160 flights were delayed or canceled across Moscow’s four main airports, with Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo bearing the brunt. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a Russian attack on the eastern city of Kharkiv killed three people and injured five. Russian strikes also left 370,000 residents in Ukraine’s northwestern Volyn region —which is near the Polish border — without electricity. Polish and NATO fighter jets were scrambled to safeguard Polish airspace. Rolling blackouts were also introduced in Kyiv during Russian attacks, said private energy provider DTEK on X. Trump blindsided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. Facing U.S. midterm elections in November, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that could cost him at the ballot box. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelensky declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire that Trump had announced, and criticized his willingness to strike deals with Moscow. “All he's doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that's a disgrace,” Trump said in an interview with the Newsmax news outlet, after Ukraine hit a refinery southeast of Moscow which helps to supply the Russian capital. For Russia's part, President Vladimir Putin played down the effect of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, saying they had caused “nothing particularly significant.” Reuters contributed reporting. Read more about: Drones , Energy , Ukraine war Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Trump Says Russia and Ukraine Reached ‘Energy Ceasefire' Trump, in a social media post, said the energy ceasefire was taking effect immediately, but did not elaborate further. 3 Min read Drone Strikes Force Central Russian Refineries to Halt or Cut Output – Reuters The combined annual capacity of refineries that have either fully halted or significantly reduced operations is nearly one-quarter of Russia’s total... 2 Min read Massive Russian Attack Hits Ukraine Energy Infrastructure – Kyiv Authorities in northeastern Kharkiv and southern Odesa regions reported overnight drone strikes on energy facilities. 2 Min read Ukraine Drone Attack Leaves Russia Oil Depot in Flames – Official Kursk region Governor Roman Starovoit said on social media that there were no casualties, appealing to the local population to remain "calm." 1 Min read