The court has toughened the punishment for a businessman in the Makhachkala explosion case.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan has increased the sentence for Eldar Nasrulaev, who was found guilty of violating the rules on storing ammonium nitrate, which exploded near a gas station on the outskirts of Makhachkala in August 2023. He was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.

As reported by Caucasian Knot, in mid-November 2025, Eldar Nasrulaev, a tenant of a warehouse near a gas station in the suburbs of Makhachkala, received five years in prison for violations in the storage of ammonium nitrate, which led to an explosion with multiple casualties at a gas station in Makhachkala.

The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Dagestan reviewed the appellate case against Eldar Nasrulaev, convicted of possessing an explosive substance that resulted in death, the press service of the courts of Dagestan reported today on its Telegram channel.

The court found that the convicted man illegally stored ammonium nitrate, coconut mats, and hydrogen peroxide, intended for sale to farmers, in rented premises. On August 14, 2023, an explosion and fire occurred as a result of violations of storage regulations. More than 30 people were killed, about 100 were injured, and more than 80 vehicles and at least 40 buildings were damaged.

"The appellate ruling modified the sentence of the Kumtorkalinsky District Court, sentencing the convicted person to eight years and six months' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony, with a three-year ban on trading in chemicals and fertilizers. The appellate ruling comes into force from the moment it is announced and can be appealed in cassation," the court said.

Earlier, the trial court, taking into account mitigating circumstances, sentenced the convicted person to five years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony, with a three-year ban on trading in chemicals and fertilizers, she clarified. Press Service.

The case was heard on charges of storing for the purpose of sale goods and products that do not meet consumer safety requirements, resulting in the negligent death of two or more persons. 1 .

Eldar Nasrulaev is the owner of the ammonium nitrate that was stored near the service station at the site of the explosion. Investigators believe the fire started in the service station building and then spread to the premises where the ammonium nitrate-based fertilizers were stored. After this, an explosion occurred at a nearby gas station, where the shock wave carried debris, RBK reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that in mid-February 2026, security forces detained a suspect in an industrial safety violation that resulted in the death of a person in a gas tank fire at a gas storage station in Makhachkala. Local residents were evacuated from their homes and apartments due to the fire. Also, in September 2025, the investigation into the deaths in a gas station explosion in Dagestan was completed. Marat Dzhankhuvatov, the owner of the gas station in Novy Khushet, where 13 people died in the explosion, hired unaccredited specialists to repair the gas pipeline. The investigation concluded that the repairs were carried out in violation of safety regulations.