[2] The 0.2–0.3 kt (kiloton of TNT) explosion was performed in Ukrainian SSR in an eastern annex of Yunkom coal mine, near the town of Bunhe, city of Yenakiieve, at a depth of 903 m (2,963 ft) in between the coal layers «Deviatka» (l4) and «Tsehelny» (l21) on September 16, 1979, at 9:00 AM (GMT).

[1][3] The aim of the explosion was to lower interlayer tension and underground gas pressure, allowing more secure coal mining.

[7] After the starting of Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 the city of Yenakieve was occupied by pro-Russian forces of so-called Donetsk People's Republic.

The drainage required maintenance of water pumps, which stopped along with the region's general infrastructure degradation after the Russian military occupation.

The radiological contamination was viewed as potentially spreading to the Mius River and then to the Azov Sea, threatening drinking and irrigation water supplies.