A major fire erupted at the Avangard electronics factory in St. Petersburg, Russia, early Wednesday, following a series of explosions that shook the Kalininsky District and sent black smoke billowing into the night sky. The plant, a designated Federal Scientific and Production Center, is considered one of Russia's systemically important enterprises, specializing in radio electronics, microcircuitry, and instrumentation.
Local media, including the Russian Telegram channel SHOT and news outlet ASTRA, reported that the blaze began shortly after 1 a.m. local time. Witnesses described hearing multiple explosions before flames overtook the facility. Emergency crews assigned the fire a second-rank status, indicating the need for heightened response.
Videos posted on Russian social media showed flames rising from the building's fifth floor of a six-story structure, with smoke visibly spreading across the area. The Ministry of Emergency Situations in St. Petersburg confirmed the fire covered at least 100 square meters.
Founded in 1948, the Avangard plant is among Russia's oldest electronics manufacturers and plays a role in producing technology potentially relevant to military systems, though its direct contribution to the Kremlin's war in Ukraine remains unclear. No casualties have yet been reported, and Russian authorities have not disclosed how many individuals were present during the explosions.
Traffic was shut down around Kondratyevsky Prospekt as firefighters battled the blaze and worked to prevent the fire from spreading. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the explosions.
The incident coincides with heightened tensions in the region. Hours earlier, a separate large-scale fire broke out at a construction market near Moscow. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, explosions were reported in the city of Sumy around the same time as the St. Petersburg fire, though their origins remain under investigation.
While there are no confirmed links between the Avangard blaze and Ukrainian military activity, the timing has raised questions. Ukraine has escalated its use of long-range drones against strategic Russian infrastructure in recent weeks. On May 28, a source within Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that drones had struck the Raduga defense plant in Dubna, a Moscow suburb known for cruise missile production.
