Ukraine Hits Russia’s Second-Largest Oil Refinery, Again – A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at part of Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery on November 9, as several Russian regions imposed restrictions on gasoline and diesel fuel purchases.
Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko admitted the KINEF refinery, located southeast of St. Petersburg, was hit by a drone. Elsewhere in the region, one woman was killed after drone remnants fell from the sky, Russian officials said.
T-84 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
T-84 Tank Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Drone Strike Sparks Refinery Fire
“There have been confirmed drone strikes in the industrial zone of the city of Kirishi,” Drozdenko said, according to RBC-Ukraine.
Later, he said the refinery had been hit, causing a fire that was subsequently brought under control. He also said Russia’s air defense systems had shot down 113 drones in the Leningrad region — a claim which could not be independently verified. Footage posted on Ukrainian Telegram channels showed explosions at an industrial site. Independent Russian media outlet Astra said the fire occurred at the KINEF refinery, which supplies fuel to St. Petersburg and aviation kerosene to Pulkovo Airport.
NASA’s satellite-based fire monitoring system detected multiple hotspots at the refinery, according to the Kyiv Independent. It remains unclear how much damage was caused to infrastructure and whether production was further disrupted.
Drozdenko said a woman had died after debris hit an apartment block in Vsevolozhsk. Heating infrastructure in Kirishi was damaged, but heat has since been restored, Russian reports said.
Refinery Under Pressure
The KINEF refinery, owned by Surgutneftegas, processes about 20 million metric tons per year of crude oil into fuel, including gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. It was previously targeted by Ukraine’s military and named as a supplier to Russian forces.
The refinery was previously struck on August 30. Ukrainian drone attacks had also forced a temporary suspension of processing in May, when three of its four crude distillation units were damaged.
The attack comes after Ukrainian strikes on at least eight large Russian refineries in the past two weeks, Reuters reported.
Fuel Restrictions Continue to Impact Russian Drivers
The effects continue to be felt at gas stations. Karelia Governor Artur Parfenchikov said purchase caps of 30 liters of gasoline and 50 liters of diesel, respectively, would be enforced at some Rosneft stations. Sales of fuel canisters have been completely halted.
“I am fully aware that these restrictions may cause inconvenience both to the republic’s residents and to our business owners, whose work depends on logistics,” he said. However, he also stressed that the “measures are necessary,” given the “current circumstances.”
He also explained that preventing “panic buying” was a priority for local government.
Reuters reported fuel restrictions in Buryatia, Zabaykalsky, Nizhny Novgorod, Arkhangelsk, Penza and Krasnoyarsk. Similar fuel shortages led to Russian export restrictions earlier this year.
Kyiv: Oil Campaign Will Continue
On November 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that strikes against Russian oil facilities will continue.
“The operation against the Russian oil refining sector is continuing – in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities,” he said.
“The Russians have not changed the nature of their aggressive actions, have refused the de-escalation steps that our partners talked about, and are counting on launching further strikes.”
Russian strikes have caused significant damage to infrastructure in Ukraine. After a major overnight attack on November 7 into November 8, more than 600,000 residents were left without power in Dnipropetrovsk.
DTEK said efforts to restore electricity were “complicated by repeated attacks,” CBS News reported.
Zelenskyy warned on Monday that there was “a very difficult situation with power, water and heating supplies.” The European Union has announced an emergency funding mechanism to address those immediate needs.
Fresh Peace Talks to Take Place Tuesday
The attacks come just one day ahead of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.
“What is the post-war security infrastructure of Ukraine and, more broadly, of the European continent going to look like?” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told DRM News on November 8.
President Donald Trump was also adamant in a CBS interview on Sunday that he believes a deal will still happen, noting, “I believe we’re very close to making a deal.”
“I believe that that war is going to end, and it’s gonna end soon,” he claimed. ”However, he suggested Ukraine may leave the talks with a “little bit different shape.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday the meeting in Abu Dhabi was still “a matter of trilateral negotiations,” AP reported.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
