Defendants in the Winter Cherry Fire Case Received Up to 14 Years in Colony | News from Germany about Russia

The Zavodskoy District Court of Kemerovo on Friday, October 29, pronounced guilty verdicts on eight defendants in the first criminal case of a fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping and entertainment center (SEC), which killed 60 people in 2018.

The longest term – 14 years in prison – was received by the general director of the company that owns the mall, Yulia Bogdanova. The manager of “Winter Cherry” Nadezhda Suddenok was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison. The technical director of the shopping and entertainment center Georgy Sobolev received 11, and the security guard Sergey Antyushin – 8 years. All four were found guilty under the article on the provision of services that did not meet the requirements for the safety of life and health of children.

Igor Polozinenko, the head of the System Integrator company, which serviced the fire alarm in the mall, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, and his subordinate, Alexander Nikitin, to 5.5 years. They were found guilty under the article on violation of fire safety requirements. The head of extinguishing the fire in “Winter Cherry” Andrei Bursin and the head of the fire guard Sergei Genin received 6 and 5 years of imprisonment, respectively, under the article on negligence.

Some convicts will appeal against the verdict

Lawyers for Bogdanova, Suddenok and Antyushina said they would appeal the verdict. Polozinenko’s lawyer said that he and his client had not yet decided on this issue.

On March 25, 2018, a fire broke out in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping and entertainment center in Kemerovo, which killed 60 people, including 37 children. More than 450 people were recognized as victims in the case.

As part of the investigation, the Investigative Committee (IC) opened three criminal cases involving 15 people. The court began considering the first criminal case in May 2019.

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Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Black Sunday in Kemerovo
The fire started on Sunday afternoon, March 25th. His hearth was on the top floor of a four-story building. Local authorities initially underestimated the scale of the tragedy and tried to play down it.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
The fire extinguishing continued until late at night
Dozens of fire-fighting vehicles and special equipment arrived at the scene. However, the fire was extinguished only late at night. Due to unstable structures and high temperatures, firefighters were unable to get into some rooms until nightfall. Due to fears of a collapse of the building, people were evacuated from neighboring houses.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
More than 60 dead
According to the latest data, more than 60 people became victims of the fire, several more are missing. There were many children in the building. During the spring break, the shopping and entertainment center announced the “Spend Merry Holidays” campaign. The day pass included breakfasts and lunches, a visit to the activity park, master classes for children, a bowling alley and a swimming pool, a cinema and a skating rink.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Possible causes of fire
The first vice-governor of the Kemerovo region, Vladimir Chernov, called the careless handling of fire in the playroom as one of the probable causes of the fire. It is assumed that one of the children had a lighter – because of it, the foam rubber caught fire, the fire quickly spread to the entire building. However, experts do not exclude the fact that the fire broke out due to a violation during the installation and maintenance of power grids in the shopping center.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
The source of the fire has not yet been established
Meanwhile, the head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Vladimir Puchkov, who arrived at the scene of the tragedy, said that the source of the fire had not yet been established. It is too early to talk about the reasons for the incident, he stressed.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Hundreds of people are involved in the rescue operation
According to the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov, the search and rescue operation at the site of the tragedy will continue as long as necessary. More than 600 people are involved in eliminating the consequences of the fire in the Zimnyaya Vishnya shopping center, and employees of the Emergencies Ministry from other regions of Siberia help the rescuers of Kemerovo.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Criminal case initiated
A criminal case was initiated on the fact of the incident. According to the representative of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Svetlana Petrenko, four people were detained. Among them – the head of the management company serving the shopping center, as well as the tenant of the premises, in which, according to preliminary data, a fire could occur.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Terrible tragedy
A terrible tragedy united the inhabitants of the city. On the morning of March 26, thousands of people gathered near the Winter Cherry. More than 300 people wishing to donate blood turned to the Kemerovo Regional Blood Center. The authorities of the Kemerovo region will announce mourning for the dead in the coming days.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Kemerovo: We remember, we love, we grieve …
Throughout the day, people carried flowers, toys and photographs of the dead and missing children to the natural memorial in the park, not far from the shopping center.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
Relatives sign “secrecy papers”
On March 26, social networks spread information about allegedly “hundreds of victims of the fire” and that the authorities were silent about the real numbers. The Investigative Committee of Russia argues that this is not the case. At the same time, it was confirmed there that the relatives of the deceased were given “papers on the observance of secrecy” for signature. This is done in compliance with the criminal procedure legislation, according to the UK.

Tragedy in Kemerovo: fire in “Winter cherry”
The tragedy was responded to in the regions of Russia and in the world
The tragedy in Kemerovo was responded to in other regions of Russia and in the world. Ingushetia announced a three-day mourning for the victims. On Tuesday, March 27, a solidarity action is planned at the Pushkin monument in the center of Moscow. Condolences to the Russians, among others, were expressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Theresa May and White House spokesman Sarah Sanders.
Author: Ekaterina Venkina