Deadly explosion rocks Russian military site near St Petersburg

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete February 17, 2026 at 06:26 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

An explosion at a Russian military police facility in Sertolovo, near St. Petersburg, caused the collapse of several floors on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Russian media sources report at least three fatalities and several injuries. The cause of the blast is currently under investigation by the Leningrad Governor and Russia's Investigative Committee, who have opened a probe into potential fire safety violations. Soldiers and security forces have been deployed to the scene to clear debris and search for potential victims, amid fears of further collapse. The incident occurred as US-brokered Russia-Ukraine peace talks began in Geneva. Russia has experienced a number of sabotage attacks on military and civilian infrastructure since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Lenta 30% Geneva ×240% United States 50% Russian Investigative Committee 50% Ukraine ×260% Alexander Drozdenko 60% Sertolovo ×270% St Petersburg ×280% Russia ×790%

Keywords

explosion 100% military site 80% building collapse 70% casualties 60% russia-ukraine talks 50% investigation 50% sabotage attacks 40% fire safety violation 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Russia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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explosion military site building collapse casualties russia-ukraine talks investigation sabotage attacks fire safety violation

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