More than 20 Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Leningrad Oblast overnight on March 26, damaging industrial infrastructure near one of the country’s largest oil refineries, according to local authorities and Russian media reports.
Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said air defenses were repelling the attack over the Kirishi district, where an industrial zone sustained damage. He added that there were no immediate reports of casualties but did not name the facility targeted.
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Local residents and Russian Telegram channels identified the site as the Kirishinefteorgsintez (Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis, or KINEF) refinery – Russia’s second-largest by processing capacity.
Owned by Surgutneftegaz, the plant refines up to 20 million tons of oil annually, producing fuel and petrochemicals critical to domestic supply and export flows.
The strike marks at least the fifth known Ukrainian drone attack on the refinery since March 2024. A previous hit in late 2025 forced a temporary shutdown of its most powerful processing unit.
The latest attack follows a wave of strikes on Russia’s Baltic energy infrastructure. A day earlier, Ukrainian drones hit the Novatek terminal at the port of Ust-Luga, about 150 kilometers southwest of St. Petersburg, sparking a fire at a key gas condensate processing and export facility.
Ukrainian officials said storage and loading infrastructure were targeted in a coordinated long-range operation, while Russian authorities reported dozens of drones shot down and no casualties.
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