News Feed

Electronics plant in St. Petersburg on fire following explosions, local officials report

2 min read
Electronics plant in St. Petersburg on fire following explosions, local officials report
Illustrative image: A digital image of Russia's President Vladimir Putin appears on the facade of the 42-storey Leader Tower skyscraper behind the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad in Saint Petersburg on January, 4, 2025. (OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

An Avangard electronics plant reportedly caught fire in the Russian city of St. Petersburg following a series of explosions, local Telegram channels and officials reported overnight on May 29.

In purported videos posted on social media, a large fire was seen rising from the factory's roof in the Kalininsky district of the city. Preliminary reports indicate that the fire began around 1 a.m. local time.

The fire is reportedly burning on the 5th floor of a 6-story building, the St. Petersburg Emergency Services Ministry said, adding that the fire covers approximately 100-square-meters.

The plant reportedly specializes in the production of microelectronics and microcircuits.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the fire, and there were no official reports of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the region ahead of the fire.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports made by Russian officials.

Kyiv has previously target St. Petersburg through drone attacks on the region.

As Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and the war drags on, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory. In particular, drone attacks in Russia have forced airport closures for several nights in a row.

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on May 28 that Ukrainian long-range drones hit the Raduga enterprise in the town of Dubna in Moscow Oblast, which produces cruise missiles.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian cruise missile factory, SBU source says, in one of largest reported strikes of full-scale war
Dozens of Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defenses as they approached Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed on May 28.
Article image
Avatar
Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Read more
News Feed
 (Updated:  )

A Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer was murdered on July 10 in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, the SBU's press service told the Kyiv Independent after a reported shooting in the district.

Show More