Ukraine Declares War On Russian Oil Industry

• 19.09.2025, 12:14

The range and accuracy of Kiev's attacks is increasing by the day.

Ukraine continues its strategy of pressuring Russia's economy by attacking its oil refineries and ports. This time the target was the Kirishi refinery in the Leningrad region, one of the country's largest, writes National Security Journal (translated by Charter97.org).

Ukrainian drones hit the refinery, located nearly 800 kilometers from the border. According to Reuters, the strike knocked out a key technological unit that provided about 40 percent of the plant's production capacity. Repairs are expected to take at least a month.

The Kirishi refinery refines more than 17 million tons of oil a year, about 6% of Russia's total refining capacity. The strike was the continuation of a series of attacks, two days before SBU drones disrupted operations at Primorsk, Russia's largest oil port on the Baltic.

Video and photos published by residents of the region and independent media confirm the scale of the fire. Russian authorities said there were no casualties, but they did not deny the damage.

The attacks have already had tangible consequences. Fuel outages and queues at gas stations have been recorded in several Russian regions, with local authorities imposing rationing. Moscow calls the strikes on oil facilities attacks on civilian infrastructure, but Kiev insists that oil refineries are legitimate military targets, as they are the ones that "finance and fuel the Kremlin's war machine."

According to analysts, the Ukrainian drone strikes demonstrate the growing range and accuracy of Kiev's technology. Meanwhile, the pressure on the oil industry threatens not only Russia's domestic market but also its export revenues, a key source of funding for the war.