Two dead after back-to-back explosions in northern Ukraine ‘completely destroy’ industrial facilities and homes

Explosions rocked two industrial facilities near the village of Berezyna in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region on Wednesday evening, killing two people and injuring 24 others, including four children, according to regional military administration head Vitaly Bunechko. He said the two people killed were employees of one of the facilities, while the injured were local residents.

The blasts occurred at two production sites along the M-06 Kyiv–Chop highway, local officials reported. Serhiy Sokalsky, head of the Hlybochytsia community, said both facilities were completely destroyed. An eyewitness told Suspilne that the explosions happened three minutes apart. Officials have not disclosed the cause of the blasts.

Initial reports suggested that a gas station operated by the Azerbaijani company Socar had been damaged, but Bunechko denied this.

Bunechko also said the explosions destroyed 25 homes. Authorities have yet to provide a full count of additional damaged buildings. Power lines were affected as well, leaving 735 households without electricity, according to regional energy company Zhytomyroblenergo.

Police closed the M-06 highway in both directions after the blasts, redirecting traffic to alternate routes. Partial traffic resumed later, with one lane open in each direction. Full access to the highway was restored on Thursday morning.

Following the explosions, the Zhytomyr Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention advised residents to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.