Daghestan’s Kumtorkala District Court has sentenced 36-year-old Eldar Nasrulaev to five years in prison after finding him guilty of violating rules on the storage of chemical fertilisers. As a result of his actions, an explosion occurred at a petrol station in Makhachkala, which killed more than 30 people.
In addition to his prison sentence, the court also banned him from trading chemical products for three years.
According to the court ruling, Nasrulaev had been illegally trading chemical fertilisers, including ammonium nitrate, without registering as an entrepreneur. He also rented a premise unsuitable for storing hazardous substances: it had no ventilation system, no fire alarm, and no other safety measures.
On 14 August 2023, a fire started at the warehouse used by Nasrulaev. Due to high temperatures and breaches of storage requirements, ammonium nitrate exploded, and the blast wave damaged nearby buildings, including the petrol station. According to official data from the courts, the explosion killed 33 people and injured more than 100.
The investigation and the court established that the petrol station where the explosion occurred had been operating with violations — it lacked the required cooling system and was not connected to a fire-fighting water supply.
The owner of the station, Ibragim Shamkhalov, had previously been fined by the Ministry of Emergency Situations for failing to comply with safety requirements.
The investigation also stated that the building where the fertiliser was kept was not suitable for such goods: the warehouse did not have an adequate extraction system.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire covered an area of around 600 square metres. Both the car service centre and part of the petrol station were destroyed. In the ministry’s official report, 37 people were said to have been killed and more than 100 injured.
Investigators also believe that hot weather contributed to the self-ignition of the fertiliser: on the day of the fire, air temperatures exceeded 35 °C.
After the tragedy, Daghestani authorities increased oversight of petrol stations in the region. More than 17,000 violations were identified during inspections, around 5,000 of which were related to safety requirements.
Meanwhile, incidents at petrol stations have continued in the republic: in September 2024, a fire followed by an explosion occurred at a petrol station near Makhachkala, killing 13 people.
In December 2024, a fire broke out at a petrol station in Makhachkala. The station was located next to a ceremonial hall and a five-storey residential building, breaking safety requirements.
Luiza Mchedlishvili
