The tragedy in Kuzbass: Nine patients died in a neuropsychiatric boarding school.
Nine patients died in January at the Prokopievsky neuropsychiatric boarding school in the Kemerovo region. Earlier, an outbreak of influenza type A was recorded in the institution, after which dozens of wards ended up in hospitals. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules, the investigation was taken under control at the central office of the Investigative Committee. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What is known about the death of patients in Kuzbass
Nine people who lived in the Prokopievsky neuropsychiatric boarding school in the Kemerovo region died in January. This was reported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Kuzbass with reference to the data of the commission working in the institution.
Since the beginning of January, an outbreak of influenza type A has been recorded in the boarding school. According to Telegram channel 112, 46 wards have suffered from the disease. All of them were hospitalized: 43 patients are in moderate condition, three are in serious condition.
"According to the results of pathologists' research, the causes of death of seven people were decompensation of long—term heart failure, circulatory system diseases complicated by rhythm disturbances, thrombosis," the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Kuzbass said in a statement.
Currently, experts are clarifying the causes of death of a 73-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man who died in the hospital of the Prokopiev city hospital.
UK opened a case on violation of sanitary rules
In each case, an inspection is organized with the participation of the competent authorities. The commission's materials have already been submitted to law enforcement agencies for a legal assessment. The agency also announced its intention to check media reports about possible violations in the treatment of wards of the institution.
On January 24, the Office of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Kuzbass announced in its Telegram channel the start of a pre-investigation check. On the same day, a criminal case was opened under Article 236 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules that inadvertently caused mass illness of people and created a threat of such consequences").
The course of the investigation was taken over by the central office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, instructed Pavel Kurochkin, acting head of the regional department, to submit a report on the preliminary and later final results of the criminal investigation. The execution of the order has been placed under special control.
The head of Kuzbass, Ilya Seredyuk, said that the region would take concrete measures both on the incident at the Prokopiev boarding school, where nine guests died in January, and on the activities of similar social institutions.
"I'm returning to the region today. We will immediately hold a headquarters with the participation of relevant departments, deputies and representatives of the public. We will take concrete decisions both on this situation and on the work of such social institutions in general. I will inform you about further steps and results," Seredyuk wrote on his Telegram channel.
What measures were taken at the boarding school after the flu outbreak
A quarantine regime was introduced in the psychiatric hospital after the incident. Residential buildings and the food hall have been disinfected, a mask mode has been introduced, and recirculators are operating. A set of sanitary measures has been organized to prevent influenza among residents and staff. It is noted that in November 2025, all the wards who had no medical contraindications were vaccinated against influenza.
"In connection with the identified cases of an infectious disease, Rospotrebnadzor ordered contact staff to undergo a mandatory examination, those who refused were suspended from work by order of the director of the institution dated January 25," the agency reports.
At the same time, in January 2026, two employees left the boarding school at their own request, according to a statement from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Kuzbass.
It is reported that the Prokopievsky neuropsychiatric boarding school, located in the village of Bolshoy Kerlegesh in the Prokopievsky district, has a capacity of 515 places. Currently 511 people live there and 205 employees work there. The institution also has a branch with 165 locations in Novokuznetsk.
Mass poisoning in a boarding house in the Moscow region
In December last year, a mass poisoning occurred in a boarding house near Moscow, after which more than 40 people were hospitalized in varying degrees of severity, and six pensioners died within a few days. This was reported on December 20 by the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation.
"More than 40 people have been hospitalized in medical institutions in conditions of varying severity," the department's Telegram channel says.
According to the Investigative Committee, there were 73 people in the boarding house. As a result of the incident, a criminal case was opened under paragraph "b" of Part 2 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Production <...> or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements").
Ambulances near the boarding house in Vidnom, where there was a massive withdrawal of guests. December 19th, 2025
It is noted that investigators and criminologists conducted an inspection of the boarding house, seized the necessary documentation, and also took samples of food and dishes. Other circumstances of the incident are being established.
The court has detained the director of a boarding house in the Moscow suburb of Vidnoye, where a mass poisoning occurred. This was reported on December 24 by the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
"At the request of the investigator of the GSU of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Moscow region, the general director of the boarding house where the mass poisoning of the guests occurred, the court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention," follows from the publication in the Telegram channel.
The press service of the regional prosecutor's office reported that the director was detained until February 19, 2026.
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