Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s second-largest oil refinery overnight, setting parts of the Kinef plant in Kirishi ablaze in one of the deepest strikes of the war on Russian energy infrastructure.
The attack hit the Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis plant in the Leningrad region, around 800 kilometres north of Ukraine, in the early hours of Monday. Ukrainian monitoring channels reported large explosions at the site, and eyewitness footage appeared to show enormous fireballs lighting up the night sky. NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, which uses satellite data to detect fires, recorded multiple hotspots at the facility.
Aleksandr Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, said 113 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region during the attack. Reuters reported earlier in the night that drones had hit an industrial area in Kirishi, damaging an apartment block, with air defences still engaging incoming drones. The full extent of the damage to the refinery has not yet been confirmed.
The Kinef plant, operated by Surgutneftegaz’s Kirishinefteorgsintez, can process around 20 million tonnes of oil a year — more than 6 per cent of Russia’s total refined output — and is under Western sanctions. It produces a wide range of petroleum products, including fuel that supports Russia’s armed forces. It was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones on 30 August, and in May strikes damaged three of its four crude distillation units, temporarily halting processing.
The strike comes as Ukraine resumes its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure after a temporary halt urged by US President Donald Trump. Senior Ukrainian officials have told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv never agreed to the energy ceasefire Trump unilaterally imposed on 31 October. Russia, meanwhile, has stepped up its own strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent weeks, causing widespread blackouts, water outages and civilian deaths.
The attack also comes days before US-brokered peace talks on Ukraine are due to open in Abu Dhabi, with Moscow having already named its delegation for the negotiations.
This is a developing story, and some details — including the scale of the damage — rest on Ukrainian monitoring channels and Russian regional officials and have not yet been independently verified.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, “Ukrainian forces reportedly strike Russia’s second-largest oil refinery in overnight drone attack”, 9 November 2026 (https://www.europesays.com/russia/86608/); Reuters, “Drones hit industrial area in Kirishi in Russia’s northwest, governor says”, 9 November 2026 (https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4003620-drones-hit-industrial-area-in-kirishi-in-russias-northwest-governor-says).
