The explosions on July 2 in the village of Berezyna near Zhytomyr, which killed two people, occurred as a result of the illegal production of explosives.
This was reported by the regional police.
Investigators established that in the summer of 2024, a 60-year-old resident of the Sumy region, together with four accomplices, organized the illegal manufacture of mixed explosives and explosive devices in order to earn extra money.
The entrepreneur purchased and equipped the premises of a former cowshed, weighing station and warehouse in the village of Berezyna for such production. His business partner, a 31-year-old Kyiv resident, connected the premises to the necessary communications and put them into operation, established the supply of the necessary chemical components, and operated the production and storage of explosives.
Their accomplice, a 50-year-old resident of the Sumy region, who has a degree in chemistry, developed a recipe for making explosives. He also supervised production and managed the workers: a 37-year-old resident of the Sumy region and a 41-year-old resident of the Kyiv region. Both workers permanently lived on the territory of the enterprise and manufactured explosives, received delivered chemical components, and performed other work.
The finished products were stored in premises unsuitable for this purpose, without any permits and in close proximity to residential buildings in the settlement. Due to violations of the rules during the manufacture and storage of explosives, a fire broke out in the premises on July 2 at around 6:00 p.m., which led to a detonation and subsequent explosions with a capacity of over four tons of TNT equivalent.
As a result, two local residents aged 16 and 26 died. Another 83 people were injured to varying degrees. Due to damage to buildings, vehicles and air pollution, the amount of damage is over 46 million hryvnias.
Today, July 7, investigators informed the men of suspicions of:
- illegal manufacture of explosives and explosive devices (Part 2 of Article 263-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
- illegal storage of explosives and explosive devices without a permit provided for by law (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
- violation of the rules for storing explosives, which caused the death of people and other serious consequences (Part 2 of Article 267 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Further pre-trial investigation is currently underway, and the police are identifying others involved in the illegal production of explosives. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.