Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike major Russian oil refinery in Leningrad Oblast, chemical plant in Perm Krai
Key developments on Sept. 13-14:
- Ukrainian drones strike major Russian oil refinery in Leningrad Oblast, governor says
- Ukrainian drone hits chemical plant in Russia's Perm Krai 1,800 km from border, source says
- Ukraine hits Russia's Black Sea Fleet communication hub in occupied Crimea, Navy says
- Ukraine behind attack on Russian railway logistics, undermining offensive capabilities, military intelligence source claims
- Romania scrambles jets, Poland closes airport over Russian drone alerts
Ukrainian forces attacked the Kirishi oil refinery in Russia's Leningrad Oblast overnight on Sept. 14, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.
The Kirishi refinery is one of the largest in Russia and has a processing capacity of over 17 million tons of oil per year.
Russian air defense intercepted three drones in the Kirishi area, Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed. Wreckage from a downed drone crashed on the site of the refinery, igniting a fire.
The fire has since been extinguished and there were no casualties, Drozdenko said.
Video footage and photos from local residents published by the Russian opposition news channel Astra appear to show a large blast and flames rising from the Kirishi refinery after the attack.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
The Kirishi refinery, also known as Kirishinefteorgsintez or KINEF, is one of Russia's top two oil refineries by volume, along with the Ryazan Oil Refinery. A subsidiary of Surgutneftegaz, the facility refines about 17.7 million metric tons per year (355,000 barrels per day) of Russian crude, amounting to 6.4% of the country's total.
The refinery is located over 800 kilometers (497 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said it carried out a strike on the Kirishi refinery in March 2025.
The latest strike on the refinery comes shortly after one of the largest drone attacks against Leningrad Oblast of the full-scale war. Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones attacked Primorsk, Russia's largest oil-loading port on the Baltic Sea, overnight on Sept. 12.
Ukrainian drone hits chemical plant in Russia's Perm Krai 1,800 km from border, source says
A Ukrainian drone struck the Metafrax Chemicals plant in Russia's Perm Krai the evening of Sept. 13, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 14.
Perm Krai lies over 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
At around 9:20 p.m. local time on Sept. 13, Perm Krai Governor Dmitry Makhonin reported that a Ukrainian drone had hit an industrial enterprise in the city of Gubakha. He did not disclose details about the enterprise.
Russian opposition news channel Astra identified the target as the Metafrax Chemicals plant, a major complex located in Gubakha. The intelligence source confirmed that this was the enterprise hit in the strike.
"According to preliminary information, equipment for urea production has been damaged," the intelligence source claimed.
Although urea is primarily used in agriculture, it can also serve as a component in the production of explosives.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
In 2023, the Metafrax Chemicals plant in Gubakha launched a new Ammonia-Urea-Melamine (AUM) production facility that reportedly produced 300,000 tons of ammonia in its first eight months. The company has been sanctioned by the U.K. and Ukraine.
Ukraine hits Russia's Black Sea Fleet communication hub in occupied Crimea, Navy says
The Ukrainian Navy attacked a communications hub of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol earlier this week, the Navy reported on Sept. 14.
According to the statement, the communications center, responsible for coordinating operations of Russia's Black Sea Fleet units, was located at the site of the 184th Research and Testing Facility.
The attack reportedly took place overnight on Sept. 11. The Navy published photos purported to show the aftermath of the attack.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Sevastopol has served as the base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet since before the occupations of Crimea in 2014. Repeated Ukrainian attacks using naval drones, missiles, and long-range drones have forced the Kremlin to reduce its naval presence in the peninsula.
Ukraine has destroyed several Russian vessels, including the Caesar Kunikov landing ship, the Sergei Kotov patrol ship, the Ivanovets missile corvette, and multiple high-speed landing crafts.
The shrinking Russian presence in Sevastopol comes as Ukraine steps up drone attacks against other Black Sea Fleet locations. On July 6, drones struck the fleet's facilities in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, a key port east of Crimea across the Kerch Strait.
Ukraine behind attack on Russian railway logistics, undermining offensive capabilities, military intelligence source claims
Ukraine was behind a recent operation that disrupted railway traffic in Russia and killed two members of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 14.
"These railway lines are critical supply routes for Russian forces operating in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions," the source said.
HUR and the Special Operations Forces (SSO) reportedly carried out a "uniquely complex" operation on Sept. 13 that halted traffic on the Oryol-Kursk railway line in Russia.
Russian railway personnel found unidentified mines on the Maloarkhangelsk — Glazunovka section. A specialized engineering unit from Russia’s National Guard was sent to the site, but an explosion went off during demining, killing two soldiers and seriously injuring another, according to the source.
The blast halted train service in the area. Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov also confirmed the incident.
In a separate incident overnight on Sept. 14, another explosion targeted the Saint Petersburg — Pskov railway line near the Stroganovo–Mshinskaya section. According to the source, the attack derailed a locomotive and destroyed 15 fuel tankers filled with fuel.
"As a result of the damage to these rail lines, Russia will face serious logistical challenges, which will significantly impact its ability to conduct offensive operations against Ukraine’s forces," they added.
Romania scrambles jets, Poland closes airport over Russian drone alerts
Romania and Poland took urgent military measures on Sept. 13 in response to escalating threats from Russian drone activity near their borders with Ukraine.
The incidents come just days after Poland confirmed it had shot down Russian drones in its airspace during a mass aerial attack on Ukraine overnight on Sept. 10 — marking the first known case of a NATO member engaging Moscow’s military assets over its own territory since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Russia denied targeting Polish territory.
Romania’s Defense Ministry confirmed it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after detecting a drone breaching the country's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border. Authorities issued warnings to residents in Tulcea County, near the Danube Delta, to take cover.
The jets tracked the drone until it "dropped off the radar 20 km southwest of the village of Chilia Veche," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the "drone did not fly over inhabited areas and did not pose an immediate danger to the population."
Romania, a NATO and EU member, shares a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine and has repeatedly reported Russian drone fragments landing on its territory since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"Russian military personnel know exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can stay in the air," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, commenting on the attacks. "The routes are always calculated. This cannot be an accident, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders. It is a deliberate expansion of the war by Russia. This is how they operate — small steps at first, and in the end, great losses."
Romanian Foreign Minister Toiu Oana called Russia's actions "unacceptable and reckless."
"Romania condemns Russia's behavior and takes the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security," Oana wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Polish and allied NATO aircraft were also deployed to protect Polish airspace on the same day due to a renewed threat of drone strikes in Ukraine. As a precaution, authorities temporarily closed Lublin Airport in eastern Poland.
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