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Fire Erupts at Kirishi Refinery After 81 Drones Reported Over Leningrad Region
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A fire broke out at Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad region following a drone attack, with local authorities confirming impacts in the city’s industrial zone, ASTRA reported on November 9.
ASTRA’s OSINT analyst reviewed footage from Kirishi and identified the burning facility as the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, also known as KINEF, one of Russia’s largest oil refineries.
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Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries as part of a wider campaign against infrastructure that helps sustain Moscow’s war effort. In retaliation for Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy system and civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian forces had struck all 11 of Russia’s largest refineries by July 2026, while more recent attacks continued to target facilities supplying fuel to the Russian military.
“Eighty-one enemy UAVs were shot down over the territory of the Leningrad region. There are confirmed UAV impacts in the industrial zone of the city of Kirishi,” Drozdenko reported.
He added that debris struck an apartment in Kirishi, forcing one family to evacuate, although the rest of the building did not require evacuation.
Residents reported air defense activity and powerful explosions near the refinery, according to ASTRA. The outlet also noted reports of an apartment building evacuation on Stroiteley Street.
The Kirishi refinery, commissioned in 1966 and owned by Surgutneftegas, has a design capacity of around 20–21 million tons of crude oil per year.
ASTRA reported that the plant produces gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil, bitumen, liquefied gas, and petrochemical products. It is a key supplier of fuel to St. Petersburg and aviation kerosene to Pulkovo Airport.
The United States sanctioned Surgutneftegas and related entities in 2025, with KINEF also appearing in sanctions materials. The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on the company as well.
The Kirishi oil refinery has repeatedly come under drone attack in 2025 and 2026. Following a strike on August 30, 2026, the plant completely halted crude processing after two primary refining units were damaged.
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