The Kinref refinery in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, caught fire on Monday, November 9 (November 18, 1405 in the Persian calendar) due to an attack by Ukrainian drones. This attack caused serious damage to three oil processing units and significant financial losses. The governor of Leningrad Oblast, Alexander Drozdenko, announced that the region's air defense successfully shot down 113 drones flying towards Kinref, but one of these drones struck the roof of a multi-story building in the city of Vsevolozhsk, unfortunately resulting in the death of one resident.
Capabilities of the Kinref Refinery
The Kinref refinery is recognized as the largest refinery in Northwestern Russia and the second largest in the country after the facility in Omsk. This refinery belongs to the Surgutneftegaz group and has an annual crude oil processing capacity of about 18 million tons, accounting for nearly 7% of Russia's total refining capacity. In addition to processing crude oil, this facility also produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil, asphalt, and petrochemical products, playing a significant role in supplying fuel to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.
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Consequences and Recent Developments
Attacks on the Kinref refinery have continued since Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and this facility has been targeted multiple times. The Surgutneftegaz group has also been under sanctions from the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom since 2025. Following these developments, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that during the night, 430 Ukrainian drones were shot down in 14 regions, including over the Crimean Peninsula. However, there has never been an opportunity for independent verification of these claims.
In parallel with these events, Rosneft also announced on Monday that it would ration gasoline and diesel sales at some of its fuel stations. These measures have been implemented in various regions, including the Republic of Karelia, Buryatia, and the Trans-Baikal Territory, with restrictions on the amount of fuel that can be purchased per transaction. For example, in cities, customers are only allowed to buy 30 liters of gasoline, and on highways, up to 50 liters.
The Ukrainian Air Force also announced that Russian forces had deployed 317 Shahed drones since Monday evening, of which 276 were shot down. Attacks on various regions of Ukraine, including Odessa and Dnipro, have resulted in civilian casualties and injuries, highlighting the intensity of the conflict and the humanitarian consequences of this crisis.
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