Lawyer of Mikhail Pichugin, survivor of the Sea of Okhotsk, spoke about the progress of the investigation

The investigation into the death of the relatives of traveler Mikhail Pichugin, who survived after drifting in the Sea of Okhotsk, is progressing without pressure. This was stated to "Izvestia" on January 21 by the man's lawyer Andrei Nazarov.

"The investigation is proceeding democratically, <...> there is no pressure, there are no threats, there are no tricks," he reported.

Nazarov added that at the end of December 2024 Pichugin was questioned as a suspect, although earlier in the month he was still on trial as a witness.

"Now he has the status of a suspect," the lawyer summarized, specifying that his client has not been charged.

On October 15, 2024 in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk in Kamchatka, fishermen found a boat that disappeared on August 9. It was carrying the only survivor, Mikhail Pichugin, and the bodies of two of his relatives - a brother and a nephew. Pichugin was taken to Magadan and hospitalized. After being discharged later that month, he returned to Buryatia.

The man's ex-spouse Ekaterina said that the search for the missing group began only on August 14. The boat could not be found for a long time due to low fishing activity, and the crew of the fishing boat that rescued him first mistook the small vessel for garbage.