Kirishi [Russia], September 14 : Ukrainian drones attacked the Kirishi oil refinery in Russia's northwest, one of the country's largest, sparking a fire when debris fell from a shot-down drone, Russian officials said on Sunday, France 24 reported.
The strike comes amid escalating drone warfare as tensions persist in the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.
Surgutneftegaz's Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's top two refineries, was targeted by Ukrainian drones, Russian officials confirmed.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said three drones were destroyed in the Kirishi area and that the fire, caused by falling debris, had been extinguished. "No one was injured," he added, according to France 24.
Ukraine's drone command confirmed it attacked the refinery and said it had "carried out a successful strike." The extent of the damage to the refinery could not be immediately verified by independent sources, France 24 reported.
Kirishi refines approximately 17.7 million metric tons of crude annually, equivalent to 355,000 barrels per day, or 6.4% of Russia's total output.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed more than 80 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight.
In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone crashed into another of Russia's largest oil refining complexes on Saturday, causing a fire and minor damage.
The facility, owned by Bashneft, is located near Ufa, roughly 1,400 kilometres from the front line in Ukraine, France 24 reported.
Despite the attack, Radiy Khabirov, governor of Russia's Bashkortostan region, said the oil company would maintain production levels.
The recent strikes mark a significant escalation in drone operations, with Ukrainian forces targeting oil refineries and pipelines in Russia, while Russian drones have also been downed in NATO-member Poland, highlighting the widening scope of the conflict.
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