In Russia, drones launched a massive attack on St. Petersburg and struck the Kirish Oil Refinery
On the night of November 9, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region came under a massive drone attack. Local authorities reported a “huge number of UAVs,” explosions, and possible damage to industrial facilities. Amid the attack, the city also experienced disruptions to mobile internet service.
According to Astra, mobile internet stopped working in St. Petersburg. Local residents complained that they could only access services on the so-called “whitelist.”
Shortly after 1:00 a.m., Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenco warned that a large number of drones were approaching the city of Kirishi “from all sides.” He also noted that mobile internet speeds might be reduced.
At 2:45 a.m., Pulkovo Airport imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures.
Reports of numerous explosions and the activation of Russian air defense systems began circulating online. Eyewitnesses also posted footage of a fire.
According to OSINT analysts, the “Kirishinefteorgsintez” oil refinery in the city of Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast, may have been hit during the attack.
It is Russia’s second-largest oil refinery in terms of processing capacity and the only facility of this scale in the country’s northwest.
The plant was commissioned in 1966. It is owned by PJSC “Surgutneftegaz,” and its design capacity is approximately 20–21 million metric tons of crude oil per year.
The facility produces gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, fuel oil, bitumen, liquefied gas, and petrochemical products.
The Kirish Oil Refinery is one of the key suppliers of fuel to St. Petersburg, as well as jet fuel to Pulkovo Airport.
The Kirish Oil Refinery has repeatedly been the target of drone attacks.
In particular, following an attack in August 2026, the plant completely halted oil refining due to damage to two primary refining units.
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The day before, in Russia’s Rostov Region, a bridge over the Mius River on the “Novorossiya” highway—which connects Rostov-on-Don with the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine—was damaged as a result of a drone attack.
As a reminder, on the night of November 5, drones attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s largest oil refining facilities. The attack caused fires at industrial sites in the city, and part of Ryazan was left without power.
In October 2026, nearly 34,000 of the 69,200 scheduled flights in Russia were delayed or canceled. The main reason was regular restrictions on airport operations due to the threat of drone attacks.
