Ukraine hits major Russian refinery as Moscow strikes power grid

A woman is killed in a drone attack on Russia's second-largest refinery as Moscow's strikes disrupt electricity supplies across much of UkraineA Ukrainian drone attack set Russia’s second-largest oil refinery on fire overnight, killing one woman, while Russian strikes on energy infrastructure left consumers without electricity across 12 Ukrainian regions, officials from both countries said on Monday. The attacks underscored the continuing targeting of energy infrastructure by both sides, following the failure of a US-announced energy ceasefire to take hold. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region, said a Ukrainian drone had struck the Kirishi oil refinery, triggering a fire that authorities had subsequently contained. The refinery, formally known as Kirishinefteorgsintez, is one of Russia’s largest, with a processing capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels per day. It is located around 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show a major blaze at the facility. Drozdenko said Russian air defences had shot down 113 Ukrainian drones overnight. A woman was killed when drone debris struck the roof of her apartment building in the town of Vsevolozhsk, while an apartment in Kirishi was also damaged, he said. Russian strikes disrupt electricity across Ukraine Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities over the previous 24 hours left consumers without electricity in 12 regions, Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov said The affected regions were Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi and Chernihiv. “Due to significant damage, the situation remains most difficult in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions,” Nekrasov said. Ukraine’s energy ministry accused Russia of deliberately targeting the country’s energy and oil and gas sectors 128 times over the past week. It said a total of 219 incidents involving damage or destruction to energy and oil and gas infrastructure had been recorded.Energy infrastructure remains a key targetUkraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil refineries since late October, after an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump failed to produce a meaningful halt to strikes. The Kirishi refinery has been targeted several times previously. The Leningrad region is also a major export hub for Russian grain and oil through the Baltic Sea, making its energy infrastructure strategically important. The continuing attacks come amid wider concerns over global energy supplies and rising fuel prices, exacerbated by the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for contributing to higher diesel and gasoline prices in the United States, although he has also acknowledged that his decision to attack Iran alongside Israel played a major role in the increase. Rising fuel costs contributed to Republican losses in last week’s US midterm elections.