According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Special Operations Forces, in coordination with other elements of the Defense Forces, successfully carried out a long-range strike on the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, located more than 800 kilometers from Ukraine's border. The attack triggered a massive fire, confirmed by NASA FIRMS satellite monitoring.
The General Staff stressed that the refinery plays a key role in sustaining russia's war machine.
Read more: Satellite Photo of Сonsequences of Strike by Ukraine’s Defense Forces on russian Unecha Oil Pumping Station Reveals Huge Damage
The Kirishi plant, russia's second-largest oil refinery after the Omsk facility, processes over 20 million tons of crude annually. It produces around 80 types of petroleum products — including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and aviation jet fuel — and supplies both civilian markets and the russian Armed Forces. It is also the primary fuel provider for Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad, Novgorod, and Pskov regions.
Videos show flames engulfing the site despite official russian claims that air defenses intercepted incoming drones and that the fire was caused by falling debris.
Regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko confirmed a fire at the facility at 05:18 a.m., while insisting that three drones had been shot down and the blaze extinguished. However, russian Telegram channels reported that the fire spread to critical processing units. OSINT researchers analyzing the footage believe the strike may have hit the ELOU-AVT-6 crude distillation unit — the heart of the refinery's operations.
The full scale of the damage is still being assessed, but the strike underscores Ukraine's growing ability to hit high-value strategic targets deep inside russian territory.
Read more: SSU Drones Attack russia's Largest Primorsk Oil Terminal
