Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks to date against Russia overnight, with Moscow reporting at least 361 drones downed by air defence systems, alongside several guided aerial bombs and a U.S.-made HIMARS missile.
Among the targets was the vast Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery in northwest Russia, one of the country’s two largest oil processing plants.
Officials said debris from intercepted drones sparked a brief fire at the facility, which processes around 355,000 barrels of crude oil per day, or 6.4 per cent of Russia’s total refining capacity.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, confirmed that three drones were destroyed in the Kirishi area and that emergency services quickly extinguished the fire. “There were no injuries,” he said.
Ukraine’s drone command acknowledged responsibility, saying it had carried out “a successful strike” on the refinery. However, the scale of the damage, if any, has not been independently verified.
The attack comes as the war grinds through its third year, with little sign of diplomatic breakthrough despite high-level discussions among global powers on how to end what has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
The drone campaign has intensified in recent weeks. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries and pipelines, while Russian drones have been downed not only across Ukraine but also in neighbouring NATO-member Poland, underscoring the risks of escalation.
Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter, has sought to downplay the impact of the strikes on its energy infrastructure. But Ukraine has made no secret of its strategy of hitting the Kremlin’s economic lifelines, betting that sustained attacks on oil assets could sap Moscow’s ability to fund its war effort.
