Fire at the Kirishi refinery after an Ukrainian attack. Photo: Telegram / Exilenova
A fire broke out at one of the biggest refineries in Russia, Kirishi, southeast of St. Petersburg, after a Ukrainian attack with drones on Saturday night.
Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region where the refinery is located, claimed that the fire was caused by the remains of a downed drone. In the past, in the case of similar attacks, Russian officials have made similar statements about fires caused by low drones, without mentioning the successful blows by Ukrainians.
Drozdenko said on Sunday morning that the fire was extinguished and that no one was injured, according to Reuters.
The refinery of Kirishinefteorgsintez, a surgutneftegaz, is one of the most important refineries in Russia. It refines about 17.7 million tonnes per year (355,000 barrels per day) of Russian crude oil, or 6.4% of the total country.
Images on Russian telegram accounts show at least one large explosion and a large fire.
https://t.co/ugtnj4jxom pic.twitter.com/p4ttjwewyr
– Osinttechnical (@osinttechnical) September 14, 2025
Ukrainian Attack Drones Hit the Massive Russian Kirishi Oil Refinery Outside of St. Petersburg overnight.
Seen Here, a Pillar of Flame Rises from the Refinery Complex, One of Russia's Largest. pic.twitter.com/z3xoeyooq2
– Osinttechnical (@osinttechnical) September 14, 2025
On Sunday morning, the Moscow Ministry of Defense said that its air defense systems intercepted 80 Ukrainian drones overnight above the Russian and Azov Sea, mentioning only two from the Leningrad region where Kirishi is located.
According to the information quoted by Tass, the Russians said they had intercepted 30 Ukrainian drones in the Briansk border region, 15 in Crimea Crimea, 12 in Smolensk, 10 in Kaluga, 5 in Novgorod, 3 above Azov, 2 in Leningrad, and one in Oriol, Riazan and Rostov.
Ukrainians amplify the campaign to hit the Russian oil sector
Kiev has intensified its drone blows on the Russian energy infrastructure, trying to deprive Russia by its main source of income-oil sales-by limiting export capacities.
The last attack was on Saturday, when a refinery belonging to the Bașneft oil company, also one of the largest in Russia, caught fire in the Republic of Bashkiria, on the Volga river, over 1,000 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Also, a drone attack on the Port Primorsk in the northwest of Russia caused a fire on a ship and a pumping station on Friday, which is the first such-related blow on one of the largest Russian oil and fuel export terminals.
Other Russian ports, including UTT-luga, and Novorossiisk, at the Black Sea, have been repeatedly targeted in recent months.
