Kiev, March 26, (dpa/GNA) – Ukraine has targetted the Kirishi oil refinery near St Petersburg using combat drones, as part of a series of strikes on Russia’s Baltic Sea oil infrastructure, authorities said on Thursday.
Regional Governor Aleksander Drozdenko wrote on Telegram that there had been damage in an industrial area of Kirishi. Twenty-one enemy aerial objects were reportedly shot down over the area, he said.
Telegram channels reported, citing local residents, that there were fires at the refinery. According to industry sources, Kirishi is the second-largest refinery in Russia and can process 20 million tons of oil annually.
Ukrainska Pravda reported Thursday that the refinery suspended operations after several units caught fire in the drone attack. Moscow has not confirmed the report.
The Ukrainian military reported a three-pronged strike against the oil industry in north-western Russia. First, on Monday, oil tanks and loading facilities at the port of Primorsk on the Gulf of Finland were set alight.
This was followed on Wednesday by an attack on the port of Ust-Luga, which is important for the export of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The third step was the attack on Kirishi, the military wrote on X. The aim was to halt Russian oil exports via the Baltic Sea and cut the Kremlin off from a key source of funding for its war against Ukraine.
As the US has eased sanctions against Moscow due to the war in Iran, Russia’s revenue opportunities are currently increasing.
GNA