In the north of St. Petersburg, the explosion of a gas pipeline caused a major fire. "Fire and rescue workers are extinguishing the fire caused by an explosion on a gas pipeline between (the villages of) Berngardovka and Kovalyovo," Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday. There is no information about possible victims or the cause of the explosion.

At first it was said that an LPG filling station had exploded. An exploding gas line was later named as the cause of the major fire. According to Drozdenko, there is no risk of the flames spreading to residential areas. However, the pillar of fire is visible from kilometers away, as videos on social networks demonstrate.

At the end of September, explosions caused several strands of the Nord Stream pipeline to leak in the Baltic Sea. Investigators have since found explosives at the scene of the accident. The Russian leadership, which spoke of an attack, blamed it on the United States or Great Britain.