Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Woman, Ignites Blaze at Major Leningrad Region Oil Refinery

A woman died in Russia’s Leningrad region after Ukrainian drones struck an apartment building and set fire to one of the country’s biggest oil refineries, officials confirmed Monday.

Drone Debris Hits Apartment Building, Killing Resident

At least one person died in Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region on Monday. A wave of Ukrainian drones hit the area and triggered a fire at one of the nation’s largest oil refineries, local officials reported.

Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said drone wreckage landed on an apartment building’s roof in Vsevolozhsk. The town sits just northeast of St. Petersburg. A woman living on the top floor was killed. He confirmed that every other resident got out safely.

Drones Target Key Refinery Site

This tragic news followed an earlier update from Drozdenko. He said Ukrainian drones had hit an industrial zone in the Kirishky district. This area houses the Kirishinefteorgsintez refinery, Russia’s second-largest. No damage or injuries were reported there.

Kirishinefteorgsintez operates as a subsidiary of energy giant Surgutneftegaz. Back in 2024, this single plant handled nearly 7% of all Russian oil refining output. That amounted to roughly 350,000 barrels processed daily.

Ukraine has targeted this refinery repeatedly over the past year. A strike in October 2025 reportedly knocked out its main processing unit. That unit alone made up about 40% of the facility’s total capacity.

Russia Reports Dozens of Intercepted Drones

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 430 Ukrainian drones overnight across the country and occupied Crimea. The ministry also claimed it struck three Ukrainian power substations during the same period. Russian forces reportedly hit a cargo ship too, alleging it carried weapons for Ukraine’s military.

Meanwhile, officials in Odesa reported a separate Russian attack killed at least three people. Odesa is a major Black Sea port city in southern Ukraine.

Fuel Shortages Deepen Despite Ceasefire Push

Ukraine has ramped up strikes on Russian refineries again in recent weeks. This comes even after U.S. President Donald Trump tried pushing both nations toward an energy ceasefire last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously offered to pause attacks on Russian oil facilities. His condition was that Moscow stop bombing Ukraine’s power grid. However, Russian forces kept hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure anyway. In response, Zelensky ordered his military to resume refinery strikes.

Since summer began, these drone attacks have caused fuel shortages across Russia. The government had to impose emergency bans on gasoline and diesel exports as a result.

On Monday, officials in the Far East’s Zabaikalsky region said energy company Rosneft again started rationing fuel sales nationwide. Customers filling up at city gas stations can now buy only 30 liters (7.9 gallons). Those at highway locations face a 50 liter (13.2 gallon) cap.

Russian gasoline prices have risen roughly 16% since January. The national average now sits at 98 rubles per liter, or about $4.51 per gallon, as of Nov. 2. Diesel prices average nearly 99.9 rubles per liter nationally.