A woman was killed by falling drone debris and a major Russian oil refinery caught fire during an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia’s Leningrad region said Monday, as Ukraine reported continuing pressure on its energy system from Russian strikes.

Al Jazeera reported that Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said the Kirishi refinery was set ablaze in the attack. He also said air defences downed 113 Ukrainian drones and an apartment in Kirishi was damaged.

The refinery is Russia’s second-largest, according to Al Jazeera. The Leningrad region is a major hub for Russian oil and grain exports through the Baltic Sea.

Russian state news agencies reported that Russian forces struck three power substations across Ukraine overnight and hit a cargo ship in the Black Sea. Moscow alleged the vessel was supplying arms to Ukrainian forces. Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify those claims.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to activate an emergency mechanism to deploy European Union funding more quickly in response to attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“Right now, many of our cities and communities are facing a very difficult situation with power, water, and heating supplies due to Russian strikes,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, according to Al Jazeera.

He said the Kyiv, Dnipro, Sumy and Donetsk regions, along with Kherson, faced the most acute energy crisis. Teams were already working on the funding mechanism, he added.

Sources