Ukrainian Drones Damage Units at Russia's Kirishi Refinery, Halting Processing

Russia's Kirishi refinery halted processing on Tuesday after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged three of its four crude distillation units, two industry sources told Reuters. Ukraine's security service stated that it struck the Kirishi refinery with drones.

Leningrad Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Tuesday that the Kirishi refinery had been targeted and that there was a fire at an industrial zone in the town of Kirishi.

Several secondary units at the Kirishi refinery were also damaged in the drone attack, according to the two industry sources. The refinery, known formally as Kirishinefteorgsintez, is controlled by Surgutneftegaz, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kirishi refinery is Russia's second-largest oil refinery, with a capacity of 20 million metric tons, or about 400,000 barrels per day.

It has processed roughly 18 million tons annually in recent years and accounts for about 7% of Russia's oil refining volumes. Located about 800 km (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border, the Kirishi refinery is one of the key suppliers of diesel to the domestic market and for export. It has suffered several Ukrainian drone attacks this year.

Ukraine has conducted long-range drone attacks on Russia's oil industry for the past two months.