Ukrainian drones hit the Kinef oil refinery in Kirishi, one of Russia’s largest, overnight on 9 November and started a fire, Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko said. Monitoring channels also reported explosions at a Russian air base in occupied Crimea and burning wind turbines in occupied Luhansk Oblast. A day after drones closed a bridge on Russia’s road to Crimea, satellite imagery shows the damage.

Ukraine has spent months hitting the refineries that turn Russian crude into fuel for the army and money for the war budget. Kyiv says the campaign has knocked out more than half of Russia’s refining capacity. The pressure now reaches gas stations across the country. Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company, has limited fuel sales in all regions, Russian Telegram channel Agentstvo Novosti reported, after drones hit three of the four refineries that supply Moscow within a week. With this strike, the campaign turned north to the main fuel source of Russia’s second-largest city.

Fires at the refinery that supplies St. Petersburg

Drozdenko first acknowledged drone hits in the industrial zone of Kirishi, a town about 800 km from the Ukrainian border. Debris also hit an apartment, and a family was evacuated, he said. By morning, he said a drone had hit the refinery grounds and the fire was contained. The attack also damaged Kirishi’s heating equipment, and heat and power generation have since been restored. Drozdenko claimed air defenses downed 113 drones over the region overnight.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ posted the first reports of the attack shortly after 3 a.m. Kyiv time. It later shared footage of several fires burning at the plant and called it the first attack on the refinery since August.

More from Kirishi, moment of the attack

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026

Drones last hit Kinef in late August, when Ukraine’s General Staff put its capacity at about 20 million tons of crude a year. Ukraine also confirmed damage to the plant in March. Another Ukrainian monitoring channel, Supernova+, listed three crude-processing units as possible points of impact, citing local footage. Ukraine’s General Staff has not yet commented on the strike.

Russian Telegram channel Astra described the refinery as the key fuel supplier for St. Petersburg and the source of jet fuel for its Pulkovo airport. Russia’s aviation agency imposed temporary flight restrictions at Pulkovo during the attack.

Kirishi, panoramic view of oil refinery

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026

Drozdenko also claimed that drone “debris” hit the roof of an apartment block in Vsevolozhsk, outside St. Petersburg, and later said a woman on the top floor died.

Explosions in occupied Crimea and Luhansk Oblast

In occupied Luhansk Oblast, a drone hit a wind turbine, Exilenova+ said. The channel later shared video of wind turbines burning in Alchevsk, which it said Ukraine built in 2013 before Russia seized them.

Wind turbines are burning after an attack in Alchevsk, in the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast.

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026

In occupied Crimea, residents told Ukrainian monitoring channel Krymsky Veter of explosions at the Hvardiiske air base from 00:44 local time. Subscribers reported another blast at 01:26, then dense Russian air defense fire and one more explosion at 02:23, the channel added. Russia has launched drones at Ukraine from Hvardiiske. Officials on either side have not commented.

Residents also heard explosions near Zuia and in the Krasnoperekopsk district. The channel’s monitoring group spotted a fire at a Russian border post near Sterehushche, citing satellite heat signatures. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it downed 430 drones overnight over 13 oblasts, the Moscow region, and Crimea.

Satellite images show the damaged Mius bridge

Satellite images confirm damage to the bridge over the Mius River on the R-280, Russia’s highway from Rostov to occupied Mariupol and Crimea, Krymsky Veter’s monitoring group said.

The imagery shows a damaged road surface, and the fire was still burning at midday on 8 November, the group added. Drones damaged the bridge that morning, and traffic on the highway was stopped.

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Russia was widening this bridge to four lanes for its Crimea road. Drones have now closed it

The bridge is badly damaged and repairs will take a long time, Ukrainian Telegram channel DroneBomber wrote. Until then, traffic faces a 30 km detour, it said.

More from Kirishi, moment of the attack

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026

Kirishi, panoramic view of oil refinery

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026

Wind turbines are burning after an attack in Alchevsk, in the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast.

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) November 9, 2026