Ukraine tried to attack Russia's Kirishi oil refinery, governor says

MOSCOW - Ukraine sought to attack one of Russia's biggest oil refineries on Tuesday, sparking a fire in an industrial area of the Russian town of Kirishi in the Leningrad region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said.

"The enemy's main target was the (Kirishinefteorgsintez) oil refinery," Drozdenko said, adding that there were no casualties as a result of the attack.

The fire was contained, and fire-fighting operations were nearing completion, he said.

According to industry sources, the Kirishinefteorgsintez oil refinery, one of the largest in the country, processed 17.5 million metric tons of oil (350,000 barrels per day) in 2024, which amounted to 6.6% of Russia's total oil refining volumes.

It produced 2 million tons of gasoline, 7.1 million tons of diesel, 6.1 million tons of fuel oil and 600,000 tons of bitumen.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defence forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tom Hogue/Guy Faulconbridge)

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 10:32 PM.