Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Authorities deny any occurance of the phenomenon.
Yesterday, a massive wave of drones filled the sky in the largest aerial assault on the Russian capital since the war began.
Explosions rocked the Kapotnya oil refinery, sending thick black smoke over the city. Falling drone debris also ignited a nearby shopping mall and damaged a high-rise residential building.
Beyond the thick plume and massive flames, the fallout literally rained down on residents. One local woman told the BBC that a fine drizzle left “unpleasant black spots” on her clothes.
She added that her friend’s jacket also “ended up covered in black specks.”
Moscow authorities denied any oil rain occurred but still warned families to close their windows. Meanwhile, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that 17 people were injured in the area.
Bringing the war to the capital
The war is expanding rapidly. Russia’s defence ministry stated that air defences intercepted nearly 1,000 drones across the country in 24 hours, though another strike killed one person at a southern oil depot.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky framed the massive raid as direct retaliation for recent Russian strikes on a historic monastery in Kyiv.
“We don’t want this war and have never wanted it,” Zelensky said. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too.”
The chaos shut four major airports and delayed over 500 flights. For locals, the sudden disruption shattered any sense of safety. One resident told the BBC that waking up to shaking buildings triggered widespread panic.
Black rain
According to Earth.org, the phenomenon known as black rain happens when fuel byproducts are subjected to atmospheric condensation, causing rain to gain a dark appearance because of large amounts of byproducts such as soot or oil droplets.
Though rare, black rain has been recorded multiple times throughout history, with the aftermath of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II being the best known.
That said, black rain was also recorded during the 1990 Gulf War as well as in 2019 in São Paulo, caused by out-of-control wildfires and a specific meteorological system.
