Drone attack hits Russia’s Leningrad region, air defense systems engaged
Russian enterprises attacked by unknown drones (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The Leningrad region in Russia is under attack by unknown drones. A fire broke out in the city of Kirishi, according to a Telegram post by regional governor Alexander Drozdenko.
The first warning about the threat from unidentified UAVs in the Leningrad region’s airspace appeared at 2:40 a.m.
Governor Drozdenko also cautioned residents about a possible slowdown of mobile internet and shared safety instructions on what to do in case of an air raid alert.
In particular, the advisory urged residents to stay indoors, move away from windows or go to a windowless room, and remain calm.
Later, Drozdenko’s Telegram channel reported that air defense systems were active in the Leningrad region.
He also confirmed a fire in the city’s industrial zone, which firefighters had begun extinguishing.
According to the Telegram channel ASTRA, citing residents, the target of the attack was likely the Kirishi Oil Refinery - one of Russia’s largest oil processing plants.
Attacks on the Kirishi oil refinery
On the night of September 14, Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes on the Kirishi Oil Refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region. According to Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, this is one of Russia’s largest refineries, with the capacity to process up to 20 million tons of crude oil per year.
The Unmanned Systems Forces reported that the strike triggered a massive fire at the refinery, forcing the plant to significantly reduce oil processing.
This was not the first attack on the facility. Earlier, on the night of March 8, KINEF was also targeted. At that time, the governor confirmed that debris from a downed drone damaged the exterior structure of one of the refinery’s tanks.
