Editor’s Note: The article was updated on March 27 to reflect the latest reports on the Ukrainian drone strike from the General Staff.
Ukrainian forces struck the Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis (Kinef) oil refinery in the city of Kirishi, located in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, overnight on March 26, the General Staff confirmed.
The reported strikes come one night after Ukraine launched a mass overnight attack on March 25, hitting an energy terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga and a Russian military icebreaker in the port of Vyborg.
A fire broke out at the facility after flames engulfed the crude oil processing units and two storage tanks, the General Staff said.
The General Staff reported on March 27 that “key units” at the Kirishi facility had been damaged, including the ELOU-AVT-2 and ELOU-AVT-6 primary oil refining units, as well as production facilities for petroleum bitumen, the heaviest residue from crude oil processing.
Other parts of the refinery reportedly affected include key crude oil processing units and gas fractionation units, which are used to separate light gases after crude oil is refined, the General Staff said.
The Kirishi Refinery is one of Russia’s three largest oil refineries, with an annual processing capacity of around 20–21 million tons of crude oil. The facility produces more than 6% of Russia’s total refined oil, including a wide range of petroleum products such as fuel that supports the country’s armed forces, the report read.
Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko also reported a drone attack in Kirishi, where one of Russia’s largest oil refineries is located. Over 20 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the area, Drozdenko claimed.
“There is damage in the industrial zone,” he said, without directly naming the refinery.
No casualties were reported.
The port of Ust-Luga was also in flames again after the March 26 attack the following night, according to footage by locals posted to social media. For the second night in a row, drone attacks in the region temporarily suspended flights at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication.
The Ukrainian military carried out a deep strike against the Ust-Luga port overnight on March 25, confirming the next morning that it inflicted major damage on a terminal operated by Novatek, Russia’s second-largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s largest ports on the Baltic Sea and a major hub for exporting crude oil and petroleum products. Located west of St. Petersburg, far from Ukraine’s border, the port plays an important role in generating revenue for the state budget.
Ukrainian forces have also previously attacked the Kirishi oil refinery, which accounts for 6.6% of Russia’s total oil refining volumes. Following an attack in early October 2025, the facility reportedly halted its primary processing unit in order to repair the damage.
The Ukrainian military claimed responsibility for strikes on the refinery reported in September and March 2025 as well.
The Kirishi oil refinery is located more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Ukraine’s border. It opened in 2017 and has a reported annual processing capacity of 17.7 million metric tons — approximately 355,000 barrels per day.
Ukrainian forces continue to intensify attacks on Russia’s oil industry, even as Moscow has begun to see additional profits from the global supply disruption triggered by the war in Iran.
Reuters reported on March 25 that Ukrainian drone strikes, pipeline damage, and tanker seizures have halted about 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity — the worst disruption to oil supply in modern Russian history.