Following the explosion in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg, investigators opened a case under Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which covers illegal acquisition, transfer, storage, or disposal of explosives or explosive devices. The press service of the Main Investigative Committee for the city confirmed this charge as the inquiry moved forward.
On the evening of April 26, an explosion occurred near an unfinished boiler room at a thermal power plant in Pavlovsk. Fontanka reports that the vacant building sits in an open area, and visually resembled a rectangular structure with window slots. Nearby lay a concrete pipe, which experts identified as the probable epicenter of the blast.
The head of the regional administration, Andrey Chapurov, announced on Telegram that there were no casualties. He stated, “The causes are being determined, control remains with the authorities, and the situation is under special supervision.”
According to 78.ru, the official representative of the State Investigation Directorate, Sergey Kapitonov, noted that the explosion damaged the roof and facade of the nearby equestrian club “Cowboy” as well as the base of the boiler room pipe. A club representative cited by TASS confirmed that the animals suffered no injuries.
A worker at the scene recalled hearing an explosion, followed by a shock wave and stones flying a few seconds later. He expressed uncertainty about the cause, saying, “Let’s just say I wouldn’t be talking to him if he were nearby.”
Other eyewitnesses reported that nearby buildings shook during the blast. One observer told Fontanka that his mother was in the Slavyanochka garden area and that windows rattled in Gummolosary. An eyewitness described the event as likely connected to the Pushkin military airfield, noting that the distance from the airport to the “Cowboy” club and Catherine’s Park is about 10 kilometers.
Local social groups noted the sound reaching Pavlovsk, with residents rushing to the street to look outside. Fontanka described a funnel about 6 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters deep remaining at the site, noting preliminary information that the explosion occurred beneath the pipe. Experts, however, cautioned that the incident did not appear to be the result of sabotage. They reported a funnel existed, yet no device trace was found at this stage.
Investigators continued to determine the circumstances, collecting fragments for analysis. Traces of a buried barrel were discovered, and fragments found at the equestrian club site were marked with signal tape bearing the word Mash on the Moika Telegram channel.
Fontanka also raised an alternate theory, suggesting that an explosion could have occurred in an abandoned building from a World War II era cache or possibly a mortally dangerous item left behind. Telegram channel Shot, citing a source, claimed that a 122-152 mm artillery shell might have detonated near the power plant.
According to 78.ru, the 90-meter-high pipe situated near the blast site had been used by extreme athletes for weekend rope jumps since 2015. Inside the pipe, there is equipment including a diesel generator, winches, cables, and ropes. The portal noted that event organizers have already been detained by the police as part of the ongoing investigation.