A Ukrainian drone strike set a fire at Russia's Kirishi oil refinery on the Baltic coast, part of a record wave of attacks on the country's refining infrastructure. The refinery was preparing to resume output after earlier strikes in March and May, and Russia has extended its diesel export ban to guard domestic fuel supplies.
Bloomberg reported Sunday that a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the Kirishi refinery near St. Petersburg, extending a record wave of strikes against Russia's refining infrastructure. The facility sits southeast of St. Petersburg, roughly 1,000 kilometers north of Kyiv.
Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said air defenses destroyed 62 drones over the region, and one downed drone fell near the refinery and started a fire that was later extinguished. No casualties were reported.
The strike hit as the Surgutneftegas-owned refinery was preparing to resume operations following months of repairs. It can process about 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day, turning out diesel, gasoline and fuel oil largely destined for export markets.
Ukraine has carried out more than 20 attacks on Russian refineries in August, the highest monthly total since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The campaign has widened Ukraine's assault on the crude oil processing sector that supplies both Russia's domestic fuel market and its exports.
As a result, the strikes have disrupted fuel supplies and contributed to gasoline shortages across several Russian regions. Moscow on Saturday extended its ban on diesel exports to protect domestic supplies against the continued attacks.
The Kirishi strike formed part of a wider overnight exchange: Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 494 Ukrainian drones, including 13 headed toward Moscow. Ukraine's military said Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles along with 130 unmanned aerial vehicles, and that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 125 of the aerial targets.
Source: Economy News
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