Ukrainian drones again struck Russia’s Leningrad Region overnight, targeting Kirishinefteorgsintez, one of the country’s largest oil refineries, according to a report by governor Alexander Drozdenko. The official said a fire broke out at the facility, but was eventually contained. No casualties were reported. The official did not provide further details on the damage. A total of 29 drones were shot down over the region.
According to FIRMS fire-monitoring data reviewed by The Insider, the fire at the refinery was still burning as of this morning. Satellites detected at least two fire hotspots, one of them on the territory of the refinery’s flare system – a critical safety system used to dispose of flammable gases and vapors.
The refinery had previously come under drone attack in late March, when about 25 drones struck the facility, sparking fires, damaging primary oil processing units, and destroying a 5,000-cubic-meter storage tank. Reuters reported that Kirishinefteorgsintez halted operations after the strikes. According to the agency, the plant processed about 17.5 million tons of oil in 2024, amounting to 6.6% of Russia’s total refining capacity.
The city of Kirishi is about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, from St. Petersburg and Veliky Novgorod.
Since late March, Ukraine has also regularly attacked Russia’s key oil ports in the Leningrad Region: Ust-Luga and Primorsk. Both ports have temporarily suspended the loading of crude oil amid the strikes.
