Unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) oil refinery in northwestern Russia’s Leningrad oblast during the early hours of 8 March, according to regional officials.
Leningrad oblast governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed that Russian air defense forces allegedly intercepted the drone attack on the oil processing facility in Kirishsky District. According to his statement, one drone was shot down as it approached, while another was destroyed over the facility’s territory.
“During the fall of debris, the external structure of one of the reservoirs was damaged,” Drozdenko wrote on Telegram, claiming there were no casualties.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, as usual, reported on allegedly destroyed and intercepted drones, claiming a total of 31 across four regions. According to the ministry, 26 were supposedly shot down over Krasnodar Krai, three over Bryansk Oblast, and one each in Leningrad and Yaroslavl oblasts. However, the report contradicts even local officials, as Leningrad Oblast Governor Drozdenko stated that two UAVs were downed, while the Russian MoD reported only one.
Following the attack, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency temporarily suspended flights at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, though these restrictions were later lifted.
The Kirishinefteorgsintez is Russia’s second-largest oil refinery and is located in the city of Kirishi, Leningrad oblast about 780 km north of Ukraine. The facility receives raw materials via pipeline from distribution centers in Yaroslavl oblast, processing Western Siberian and Volga-Ural oil. It is Russia’s largest oil refinery by volume of fuel produced. The facility is part of the Surgutneftegaz company with an annual processing capacity of 20.1 million tons of oil.
On 4 January 2025, drones attacked Russia’s largest maritime commercial port, Ust-Luga, in Leningrad oblast. The port is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and has strategic importance for Russia’s export of raw materials to European and other countries worldwide.
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