Ukraine strikes Kirishi refinery and oil station in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast
Defense forces strike Russian oil infrastructure (Photo: Exilenova+ Telegram channel)
Ukraine’s Security Service and defense forces struck the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery and a Kirishi oil pumping station in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, the SBU press service said on May 5.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said the refinery is among Russia’s three largest, with a capacity of 20–21 million tons of oil per year and accounting for more than 6% of the country’s total refining output.
The oil pumping station is a key facility for supplying crude and petroleum products for export via the port of Primorsk.
According to the SBU, its drones struck the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, hitting three crude distillation units responsible for primary oil processing. At the pumping station, a storage tank with petroleum products was hit and a fire is ongoing.
Earlier, the Telegram channel Astra reported that the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region, the largest in the country’s northwest, had been attacked by drones.
A fire broke out at the site of the KINEF refinery in the town of Kirishi after the attack, Astra reported, citing eyewitnesses. Regional authorities also acknowledged that the refinery was the main target.
Astra said Ukrainian drones had previously attempted to strike the facility in March 2024, March 2025 and overnight on Oct. 4, 2025. The plant was attacked again in March 2026, the outlet said.
On March 31, Reuters reported that KINEF could partially resume operations within a month, though the pace of any restart would depend on how quickly Russian ports restore loading operations.
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