Key facts
- Monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reported large explosions at the Kirishi site around 800 kilometers north of Ukraine.
- Leningrad Oblast governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said 113 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region during the attack.
- NASA's FIRMS satellite fire-detection system recorded multiple hotspots at the facility, the report said.
- The Kirishi plant, also called Kinef, is subject to Western sanctions imposed by Ukraine's allies, including U.S. measures, the report said.
- The report said the refinery produces fuel that supports Russia's armed forces.
Ukrainian drones struck the Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis refinery in Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast, in an overnight attack, Ukrainian monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reported on November 9. The channels reported large explosions at the site, which lies roughly 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) north of Ukraine.
Eyewitness footage published with the report appeared to show fireballs rising from the refinery. NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System, which uses satellite data to detect thermal anomalies and fires, recorded multiple hotspots at the facility, according to the report.
Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad Oblast, said 113 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region during the attack. The report did not say what damage the refinery sustained or whether processing was affected.
The Kirishi plant, also known as Kinef, can process 20 million metric tons of oil a year and produces more than 6% of Russia's total refined oil, including fuel that supports the country's armed forces, the report said. It is subject to Western sanctions imposed by Ukraine's allies, including measures by the U.S.
Ukrainian drones targeted the refinery previously on August 30, and on May 5 the plant temporarily halted processing after strikes damaged three of its four crude distillation units, according to the report. The report said the strikes resume Ukraine's campaign against Russian energy infrastructure after a pause urged by U.S. President Donald Trump; senior Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv never agreed to the ceasefire Trump announced on October 31. Russia has increased strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent weeks, causing blackouts, water outages and civilian deaths, the report said.