Explosion at the 'Arsenal' plant in St. Petersburg: detonation breached the wall of the chemical warehouse

A powerful explosion occurred at the 'Arsenal' military enterprise in St. Petersburg. The incident led to a large-scale fire, according to sources in social media cited by RBC-Ukraine.

Powerful detonation in the warehouse

Preliminary data suggests that the epicenter of the incident was a warehouse intended for storing chemical reagents. The force of the explosion was so significant that the shockwave destroyed the brick wall of the building. Firefighting units from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) arrived at the scene and began extinguishing the fire.

Significance of the facility for the defense industry

The 'Arsenal' plant is a strategically important enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex. The plant's specialization includes the production of naval artillery systems and launch complexes for the surface ships of the Russian Navy. Additionally, the facility produces certain components of rocket technology and specialized equipment for the space industry.

Context of strikes on the Leningrad Region

The incident at 'Arsenal' occurs against the backdrop of a series of attacks on military facilities in the region. On the night of June 6, drones of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces attacked the 'Kronstadt' base of the Baltic Fleet. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the drones traveled almost 1,000 kilometers to the St. Petersburg area.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later revealed details of a joint operation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Directorate of Intelligence. During this operation, in addition to 'Kronstadt', the 15th Naval Arsenal of the Russian Navy in the Leningrad Region and the 'Ust-Labinsk' oil depot in the Krasnodar Krai were struck. At least three fuel tanks caught fire at the oil depot.

It is worth noting that earlier on the morning of June 3, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a large-scale attack on military facilities in the Leningrad Region. The Kronstadt port came under fire — the attack was carried out on the day of the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.