Warehouse violations: how much did those responsible for the explosion in the Moscow region receive

A Moscow region court has sentenced the heads of an enterprise in Sergiev Posad, where an explosion occurred in 2023. Then the Pyro-Ross pyrotechnics warehouse, which was located on the territory of the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, detonated. Sergey Chankaev, the former technical director of Pyro-Ross, received five years in prison, while the other two defendants received four and a half years each. All of them were accused of violating industrial safety requirements. The short time frame is explained by the difficulty of proving such crimes. The new details of the case and the reaction of the relatives of the victims of the explosion to the deadlines for the accused can be found in the Izvestia article.

"They give the same amount for stealing a chicken. It's not fair."

The Sergiev Posad City Court found guilty the defendants in the criminal case of a powerful explosion at the Pyro-Ross warehouse, which killed nine people in August 2023. For example, Sergey Chankaev, the former technical director of Pyro-Ross, received five years in prison for violating industrial safety requirements.

In addition, employees of Zalp LLC were involved in the case — they managed Pyro-Ross OJSC during its bankruptcy proceedings. Alexander Varenov, CEO of Zalpa, and Oleg Yurov, his deputy for production, each received four and a half years in prison.

The terms turned out to be lower than the prosecutor had demanded — six years in prison for Chankaev and five and a half years each for Varenov and Yurov.

All three defendants have been deprived of the right to hold positions related to the operation of hazardous production facilities for three years.

Before the verdict was announced, Sergei Chankaev told the Izvestia correspondent that he was counting on a fair court decision.

During the verdict, the judge pointed out that the tragedy of August 9, 2023 was the result of gross violations of industrial safety requirements. According to the investigation, 4 tons of smokeless gunpowder and pyrotechnics were stored in an unintended room, which led to the explosion. He destroyed a 1,600-square-meter hangar, where pyrotechnics production and a warehouse were located.

Cars parked nearby were damaged, private and apartment buildings, as well as administrative buildings were damaged. The shock wave knocked out the windows in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The defendants plan to appeal it in court, their representatives told Izvestia. Thus, Oleg Yurov's lawyer Andrei Gandzioshen believes that the verdict is illegal — he expressed doubts about the independence of the decision.

The victims who lost their loved ones during the explosion were also dissatisfied with the court's decision. They expected a more severe sentence.

–– Nine people died. The remains were scattered everywhere, and we were collecting them. We couldn't bury our loved ones for a month and a half. Someone buried 180 g, and someone 70 g. They give the same amount for stealing chicken. It's not fair," said a relative of one of the victims.

–"I wish they had been given more," said another victim. — But it doesn't depend on us. Now we are deciding what to do next.

Alexey Gorodetsky, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association, told Izvestia that the victims and the prosecutor's office could appeal the verdict, insisting on a more severe punishment.

Claims from victims

The total amount of claims filed by individuals and legal entities against the former heads of the company exceeded 2 billion rubles. Of these, 100 million rubles are the victims and relatives of the victims.

But the court did not consider these claims, explaining that they could be considered separately in the framework of civil proceedings.

As Vladimir Kabaev, head of the Kabaev and Partners law firm, explained to Izvestia, such a court decision may be justified by the fact that there are many victims.

–"The court made such a decision so as not to delay the consideration of the criminal case," he believes. — In the verdict, the court identified the perpetrators, the degree of their guilt, and now everyone who has suffered can file a civil lawsuit.

The court's decision on a lower deadline than the prosecutor's office demanded may be due to the fact that the judge understands that the company's managers are not personally fully responsible for what happened, says lawyer Andrey Nekrasov, PhD, managing partner of the Nerkasov, Rudomanov and Partners law firm.

–– It could have been a combination of circumstances, an accident. But nine dead is no joke. Someone has to be punished and held accountable for this. If the relatives of the victims had been compensated for moral damage or admitted guilt in a pre—trial procedure, perhaps their punishment would have been even milder," the lawyer said.

And Alexey Gorodetsky believes that, taking into account the provisions of the article imputed by the defendant in the case, the court made a completely objective decision.

"But the statistics of such cases show that a lot of individual nuances and personal factors can influence the decision," the lawyer said.

So, he pointed out that the defendants did not admit guilt, did not repent of what they had done, and did not agree to pay off the damage to the victims, even partially, which could have influenced the court's decision.