Another refinery attack, another fire: Kinef refinery ablaze in Leningrad Oblast drone strike (video, updated)

In the early hours of 4 October, drones again struck the Kinef oil refinery in Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast, 800 km from Ukraine. Ukrainian Telegram channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ shared videos and photos from the scene, while Russian Telegram channel Astra confirmed a fire broke out after the attack.

Ukrainian channels share footage of refinery strike

At 03:12, Exilenova+ published the first photo, showing explosions and fires at the Kinef refinery. Later, the channel shared more photos and videos of the scene, and wrote that locals reported “arrivals” at the plant.

Exilenova+ geolocated footage from the scene, concluding that one of the clips was taken from a house facing the refinery.

Supernova+ also published videos from the attack overnight. The channel reported four incoming drones and described “direct hits” on refinery installations. 

Governor confirms attack

Russian news Telegram channel Astra reported that Kirishi was attacked by drones, citing governor Drozdenko, who said that “air defenses are working against drones in Kirishi. A fire broke out in the industrial zone. Fire services began extinguishing it.”

Astra also geolocated footage from the scene. The channel confirmed one photo was taken from Sovetskaya Street 19 in Kirishi, about four kilometers from the refinery, showing an explosion in "other direction from the plant." Astra also analyzed two photographs of the fire. One was taken on Energetikov Street 6, about 3.5 kilometers from the refinery, and the other on Mira Street 10 near the train station, about three kilometers away. The channel concluded that the images showed the Kinef refinery itself burning.

Later, governor Drozdenko claimed that air defenses destroyed seven drones over Kirishi and said the fire in the industrial zone had been extinguished. He added that environmental monitoring by Rospotrebnadzor showed no dangerous pollution levels.

Update

NASA FIRMS data confirm fires at the Kinef oil refinery near Kirishi in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast.

Thermal anomalies detected at the Kinef refinery, Kirishi, on NASA FIRMS map — 4 October 2025.

Supernova+ noted that NASA FIRMS fire detections are concentrated in the area of the combined unit for atmospheric and vacuum oil distillation — ELOU-AVT-6, a key unit in the refinery's operations.

Update: Commandos take responsibility for the attack and disclose targets

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) said that in the early hours of 4 October they, in coperation with "the Russian insurgent movement Chornaya Iskra” (“Black Spark”), struck the LAB-LABS unit, which produces linear alkylbenzenes and linear alkyl aromatic sulfonates, and the ELOU-AVT-6 unit, used for water and salt removal and primary oil processing, at the Kinef refinery in Leningrad Oblast.

The SSO stressed that this refinery is “critical for the enemy” and noted it was struck for the third time in 2025.

They added that the operation followed “clear coordination and planning” between Ukrainian commandos and representatives of Chornaya Iskra. The statement did not specify what exactly the Chornaya Iskra movement is.