A key Russian institution involved in the development of underwater weapons may have been attacked in St. Petersburg
In St. Petersburg, Russia, smoke was reported in the Lomonosov district, home to the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering—one of Russia’s key facilities for the development of underwater weapons for the navy.
Local residents shared footage on social media showing thick smoke over the Lomonosov district near St. Petersburg.
According to analysts, the source of the smoke may be located near the buildings of the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering (NII Morteplotechniki).
This institute is one of Russia’s main centers for the development of torpedo weapons and power plants for the Russian Navy’s underwater weapons.
The institute was founded in 1948 as a specialized center for the development of long-range thermal torpedoes for the Soviet Navy.
The institute’s main areas of activity include:
- research and design of torpedo systems;
- development of underwater power plants;
- conducting full-scale land and sea trials of torpedoes;
- the creation of torpedo engines with open, closed, and combined cycles;
- development of specialized equipment for testing underwater weapons.
Experts consider the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering to be one of the key enterprises of the Russian school of naval underwater weapons.
Amid reports of a possible strike on a defense facility, Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko announced a massive drone attack.
According to him, 141 drones were allegedly shot down over the region. He also reported that UAV debris had fallen in three districts of the region and that a fire had been extinguished near the village of Velikaya Izhora.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov urged city residents for the first time not to leave their homes during an air threat due to drone attacks.
There is currently no official confirmation that the territory of the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering was hit. However, published footage and geolocation analysis indicate that the smoke could have originated precisely in the area of the strategic defense enterprise.
The results of Astra’s OSINT analysis, conducted based on photos and videos published by eyewitnesses, point to a possible attack on the facility.
A major fire broke out in Tyumen, Russia, at the Antipinsky Oil Refinery—the largest private oil refinery in the Russian Federation. According to eyewitness reports, a series of explosions was heard at the facility before the fire broke out.
On the night of June 6, Russia again came under a massive drone attack. In the Krasnodar region, a fire broke out at an oil depot following explosions, and in the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol, there are reports of a strike on the port area.
On the night of June 5, attack drones struck a number of targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In Luhansk, a massive fire broke out at an oil depot following the attack; explosions and strikes were also reported in the areas of Donetsk, Vuhlehirsk, and Mariupol.
On June 3 and during the night of June 4, Ukrainian defense forces struck a number of key military targets belonging to the Russian aggressor.
