History Ukraines Attack on Russia EXPLAINED

Ukraine’s Attack on Russia EXPLAINED

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at Ukraine’s June 2026 attack on Moscow, what led to this potential turning point in the ongoing war, and the unfolding aftermath.

The modern war between Russia and Ukraine stretches back to 2014. It didn’t become an outright invasion of Ukraine until February 2022, when Russia instigated what’s become Europe’s deadliest war since World War II. Persisting for over four years, it’s exceeded the length of World War I. Since the beginning, Ukraine has been seen as David to Russia’s Goliath. That said, David triumphed over Goliath. This isn’t to say that’ll be the outcome here, although Ukraine has proven resilient in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Since 2024, Russia has occupied roughly 20% of Ukraine. A significant number, but the fact that Russia hasn’t made much progress in two years goes to show this wasn’t the 10-day endeavour Vladimir Putin supposedly thought it would be.

Even so, some believe that Ukraine is fighting a war it can’t win. That’s the impression Donald Trump gave when Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office in February 2025. Amid their infamous shouting match, Trump told Zelenskyy that he didn’t “have the cards.” Zelenskyy replied that he wasn’t playing cards, but rather, he was “the president in a war.” If we’re using cards as a metaphor, though, Zelenskyy may indeed have a winning hand. He’s just been holding the cards close to his heart. And by cards, we mean drones. According to Just Security, Ukraine was producing 3,000-5,000 first-person-view drones annually in 2022. By 2025, that number grew to three million. In 2026, they could potentially produce eight million.

A Ukrainian official claims that Kyiv now leads NATO in battlefield innovation. That doesn’t mean Russia’s military power can be underestimated either. The New York Times reported that May 2026 saw the most casualties and injuries of Ukrainian civilians in a month since spring 2022. Around the same time, multiple Russian energy and industrial facilities became drone strike targets. A fire erupted in the port city of Taganrog, while the Volgograd refinery oil plant halted production due to strikes. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the continent’s largest, has reportedly been hit as well. In June 2026, over 140 drones were launched near St. Petersburg, coinciding with the city’s International Economic Forum. A day before this strike, Putin said there was “no point” in a one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy.

Just over a week after the St. Petersburg strike, Zelenskyy attended the 52nd G7 summit with other world leaders. In a joint statement from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S., fellow leaders commended Ukraine “for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months,” adding that there is “now a new momentum.” A day after the summit, Ukraine launched what’s arguably their most prominent strike on Russian territory yet. On June 18, 2026, multiple locations in the Russian capital of Moscow were struck. The Moscow Oil Refinery had been hit earlier that week, but this was minimal compared to the events of June 18, when a fuel tank explosion literally blew off part of the plant’s roof.

There have been conflicting reports on what exactly caused the Moscow Refinery roof explosion. The New York Post says that a Russian defense missile accidentally hit the country’s own refinery during the Ukraine drone strikes. In any case, this was a massive blow to Russia, blocking out the Moscow skyline with black smoke and reportedly leaving about 17 people injured. Zelenskyy has called these attacks “fully justified.” In another statement, Zelenskyy asserted, “We do not want this war and never did… But if Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too … it is time to end the aggression, time to end this war.” Putin, meanwhile, stayed mostly silent, although the Kremlin continued to strike Ukraine following the Moscow attack.

Putin remains a divisive figure among his own people. Some Russians still support their president and the war, even amid economic woes, casualties, and attacks on their homeland that’ve been described as unprecedented. That said, a March 2026 poll suggests that 67% of Russians favor peaceful negotiations with Ukraine. Of course, censorship remains rampant in Russia. In 2024, a Russian man named Alexei Moskalyov was reportedly imprisoned because his young daughter drew a picture opposing the war. That same year, Russian opposition leader and political prisoner Alexei Navalny died under mysterious circumstances. Even if most Russians are against the war, speaking out against Putin’s leadership can come at a dire price. The damage from Ukraine’s recent strikes speaks for itself, however.

With the increase in drone production and strategic targeting of Russia’s most valuable resources, does Ukraine have the upper hand in this war? While Ukraine shouldn’t get overconfident, the country’s military efforts are surging as Russia is starting to show weakness. CBS News reported in June 2026 that Russia is seeing a shortage of S-300 missile interceptors. A Russian fuel crisis has persisted since August 2025, as Ukraine upped their drone strikes. As Ukraine relies more on technology to win the war, Russia’s military recruitment reportedly fell 20% in early 2026, despite high financial incentives. Speaking of money, this war is taking its toll on Russia’s economy. Then again, Ukraine’s economy isn’t doing much better, with reports of war funds running low.

Where Donald Trump will ultimately land in this ongoing military conflict remains one of the biggest question marks. Although the United States has given Ukraine billions in financial support, Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy has been confrontational, whereas his dynamic with Putin has appeared chummier, at least in the eyes of various critics. At the 2026 G7 summit, though, Zelensky met with Trump, who reportedly said, “Russia should make a deal.” Over a year earlier, during their Oval Office meeting, Trump told Zelensky, “Make a deal, or we’re out.” Now that Ukraine is demonstrating strength like never before, it almost sounds like Trump is showing more favoritism to Zelensky, implying that Putin is the one who should make a deal.

Granted, Trump also thanked Putin at the G7 for being “neutral” throughout the 2026 Iran war. If there’s one thing we can all say about Trump, though, it’s that he hates losing. He wants to be on the winning team, and that just might be Zelensky. Of course, Trump can still make himself out to be a winner by not betting on one horse. When asked about the war at the G7 summit, Trump said, “It has no impact on us, other than we sell weapons. We’re thousands of miles away.” This largely echoes Trump’s involvement in the war from the get-go. Despite repeatedly saying that he would end the war within his first 24 hours in office, Trump has spent most of his second term watching from the sidelines thus far.

For a while, people have questioned whether Ukraine can win the war without U.S. support. With Ukraine’s recent drone strikes, though, America’s presence in the conflict might not be as imperative as it once seemed. More than ever, Ukraine’s long-range weapons are drawing closer to the heart of Mother Russia. While they certainly didn’t pull this off without financial aid, the country’s innovation and strategy brought Ukraine to this point, giving it a fighting chance. The war isn’t coming to an end anytime soon. Russia is still among the most powerful nations in the world, and Putin is showing few signs of negotiating a peaceful resolution. If Ukraine’s attack on Moscow proves anything, however, it’s that Goliath underestimated David.

What are your thoughts on the Russo-Ukrainian war? Let us know in the comments.