“Kapotnya 2.0”: the best memes about the second attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery
According to Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, several drones reached the plant’s premises. Meanwhile, videos showing thick black smoke visible from various parts of the city were circulating online.
After years of Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukrainians viewed these images without unduly dramatising the situation. On social media, the reaction was succinct: whilst Moscow has grown accustomed to describing strikes on other cities as ‘targeted operations’, it is now gradually experiencing the consequences of that logic for itself.
“Kapotnya 2.0”
The main source of humour was the fact that the Moscow refinery had already been attacked on 16 June, and the new strike was effectively a “second instalment” within a single week.
In the memes, the refinery was referred to as a “regular customer”, a “subscription-based location” and “a TV series that’s been renewed without asking the viewers”.
This is precisely how the name “Kapotnya 2.0” came to be used online.
In their comments, Ukrainians pointed out that for years Russia had been trying to convince everyone that strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector, factories, cities and civilian infrastructure were “normal”.
Now that smoke is rising over Russian targets, the rhetoric in Moscow is shifting dramatically.
It is precisely this contrast that has become the main theme of the memes: when Russia strikes Ukraine, these are “targets”, but when strikes hit Russian infrastructure, it is suddenly “alarming” and “disturbing”.
Separately, users mocked the official talk of “debris”, “localised damage” and “clearing up the aftermath”.
Against the backdrop of videos showing black smoke, these explanations seemed particularly unconvincing – which is precisely why memes about “almost nothing happened”, “the factory just decided to take a breather” and “a scheduled smoke update” quickly went viral.
What else was attacked
That same morning, the Rostov Region came under attack from drones.
Local authorities reported fires at commercial sites, whilst the Astra Telegram channel reported a blaze at an oil depot in Gukovo.
ThePublic has compiled the best memes and reactions from Ukrainians to the second attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery.
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