World

Ukraine attacks major Russian refinery in drone assault

By AAP Newswire

Sep 14, 2025

A worker carries part of a combat drone — The drone war between Russia and Ukraine is escalating as talks on ending the conflict continue. -AP

Ukraine has targeted Russia with hundreds of drones, sparking a brief fire at the vast northwest Kirishi oil refinery, Moscow says.

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No injuries were reported in the attack, Russian officials said on Sunday.

The drone war has escalated as big powers talk about how to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, with Russian drones downed in NATO-member Poland and attacks by Ukraine against oil refineries and pipelines in Russia, the world's second biggest oil exporter.

Russia's defence ministry said at least 361 drones had been shot down by Russian air defence systems, including four guided aerial bombs and a US-made HIMARS missile.

It did not give details about the location of the attacks.

Surgutneftegaz's Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, one of the top two refineries in Russia, was among the targets attacked by Ukrainian drones, Russian officials said.

Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, said three drones were destroyed in the Kirishi area and a fire sparked by falling debris had been put out.

He said no one was injured.

Ukraine's drone command confirmed it attacked the refinery and said it had "carried out a successful strike".

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the scale of the damage, if any, to the refinery.

Kirishi refines about 17.7 million metric tons per year (355,000 barrels per day) of Russian crude, or 6.4 per cent of the country's total.

In recent weeks, the US has stepped up pressure on NATO countries to tighten energy sanctions on Russia in a bid to curtail its revenues and help end the war with Ukraine - a conflict US President Donald Trump has struggled to bring to a close.

Trump said on Saturday the US was prepared to impose fresh energy sanctions on Russia, but only if all NATO nations ceased purchasing Russian oil and implemented similar measures.

The EU is sticking to its deadline to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by 2028, it decided last week, despite pressure from the US to move more quickly.

Russia said on Sunday it had fired a Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic cruise missile at a target in the Barents Sea and that Sukoi Su-34 supersonic fighter-bombers had carried out strikes as part of joint military exercises with Belarus.

An oil company in Russia's Bashkortostan region will maintain production levels despite a drone attack on Saturday, regional governor Radiy Khabirov said.