Explosions Rock SOCAR Fuel Stations Near Ukraine’s Kyiv-Zhytomyr Highway

Two fuel stations operated by SOCAR Energy Ukraine, the Ukrainian subsidiary of State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), suffered major structural damage following a series of explosions near Berezyna village in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region.

The impacted stations are located on both sides of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr highway, roughly one kilometer from the village center, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

Local witnesses said the blasts struck a furniture factory and other local facilities without any prior air raid alerts. Preliminary accounts suggest the explosions may have been the work of Russian sabotage units operating in the area.

Natalia Chernyakova, manager of one of the damaged SOCAR stations, described the moment of impact:

“It was a normal working day. Everything was quiet outside. Then we heard a very loud explosion. Smoke covered everything-we couldn’t see a thing. Later, we saw the extent of the damage. People were terrified. It happened around 6:00 p.m. (GMT+3). Staff and me were on site at the time. The entire station façade was destroyed. We have a lot of damaged equipment-walls, air conditioners, microwaves were mangled, and the ventilation system was completely knocked out.”

SOCAR Energy Ukraine confirmed that a full damage assessment is in progress and that repair and recovery operations have been underway since the incident.