Roscosmos-linked facility in St. Petersburg hit by explosion, fire follows

An explosion followed by a fire occurred on June 8 in an industrial zone near Finland Station in Saint Petersburg, Russian emergency services said.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations clarified that the fire broke out on Mineralnaya Street, 32. Open-source data cited by The Moscow Times indicate that the site corresponds to a production facility of the Arsenal Machine-Building Plant, which is linked to Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).

According to another Russian outlet, Fontanka, four people were killed as a result of the incident. Two bodies were found inside the burned-out premises, while another two were discovered under the rubble. Two more people were hospitalised with injuries of varying severity. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported two injured individuals.

The fire affected a warehouse storing chemical reagents. The blaze covered an area of around 400 square meters and took nine hours to extinguish, with a special firefighting train deployed. The blast wave reportedly destroyed a brick fence separating railway tracks from the facility, and thick black smoke was visible across multiple districts of the city. Train services at the nearby station were temporarily disrupted.

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over violations of safety regulations during construction or other works. The main preliminary cause being considered is ignition of acetone vapours.

The Arsenal Machine-Building Plant produces equipment for the Russian military and the space industry. In particular, it manufactures satellites, including electronic intelligence spacecraft of the “Lotos” series, as well as naval artillery and launch systems such as the AK-100, AK-130, and AK-176MA, among others. It also produces rocket engines. The plant is under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union as a company fulfilling Russian state defence contracts, including those related to the war against Ukraine.

By Jeyhun Aghazada