- Статьи
- Society
- Self-serving convictions: perpetrators of Novosibirsk gas explosion given 10 years each
Self-serving convictions: perpetrators of Novosibirsk gas explosion given 10 years each
Theactions of people not authorized to check and repair gas equipment led to the deaths of 15 people in Novosibirsk in 2023, Zaeltzovsky District Court found on November 26. Case defendants Evgeny Kavun and Irina Urbakh received 10 years of general regime colony each. It was them, according to the investigation, without having the authority to do so, poorly replaced in one of the apartments of the flexible gas supply, resulting in three days later there was a leak and an explosion. Cases of imposing the services of false gas suppliers to the residents of apartment buildings are widespread throughout the country, reported "Izvestia" in the "People's Front". Why this happens and what way out of the situation see in the State Duma - in the material "Izvestia".
How was the gas explosion in Novosibirsk
To 10 years in prison sentenced Zaeltzovsky district court of Novosibirsk defendants in the case of death of 15 people as a result of a domestic gas explosion. The tragedy occurred on February 9, 2023 in a residential building on Lineynaya Street - three days after the defendants in the case Evgeny Kavun and Irina Urbakh replaced the flexible supply line of gas equipment in one of the apartments.
They came to the landlady's apartment on February 6, introduced themselves as controllers and fitters of the company "Mezhregiongaz service" and presented her with false identification. Investigators believe that the defendants did it "out of selfish motives," probably imposing imaginary services on the elderly woman. At the same time, investigators believe that Kavun did not check the tightness of the connections of the equipment he replaced.
Yevgeny Kavun and Irina Urbakh, accused in the case of a gas explosion in a house on Lineynaya Street, during sentencing in Novosibirsk's Zaeltzovsky district court
Because of this, a gas leak occurred in the apartment at about 7:30 a.m. on February 9, which resulted in a powerful explosion, collapse of load-bearing structures of the house and a strong fire. The owner of the apartment and 14 other people were killed, 11 residents suffered various degrees of health damage.
In the house lived elderly people, as well as people with disabilities, who could not get out of the rubble, follows from the information published on the website of the court.
Even neighboring houses were damaged due to the explosion. Investigators have calculated the material damage from the destroyed property of the residents - it exceeded 360 million rubles.
Local residents outside a five-story apartment building on Lineynaya Street in Novosibirsk, where a domestic gas explosion occurred. February 9, 2023
The court found Yevgeny Kavun and Irina Urbakh guilty of performing work that does not meet safety requirements, resulting in negligent infliction of serious harm to health, as well as the death of two or more persons. The prosecutor's office insisted on an aggravating circumstance, noting that the crime the defendants committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. The judge took this point into account.
In addition, Kavun and Urbakh were found guilty of destruction and damage to other people's property on a large scale.
The court concluded that the defendants violated safety regulations when carrying out gas hazardous works, did not use devices and tools that excluded spark formation and proper check of tightness of gas equipment installation.
Poor maintenance
During the court investigation it turned out that the owner of the apartment that exploded after the defendants had left had not shut off the gas shut-off valve, which, moreover, was placed in a hard-to-reach place. The court recognized this circumstance as mitigating.
The court satisfied the civil claims of the victims related to compensation for moral damage, the death of relatives and loss of housing and ordered to recover more than 12.5 million rubles from the defendants. The car owner, whose car was damaged while driving past the house at the time of the explosion, should receive another 300 thousand rubles.
Rescuers at the site of a gas explosion in a five-story apartment building on Lineynaya Street in Novosibirsk. February 9, 2023
The court rejected the claims of the Prosecutor's Office of the Novosibirsk region to recover Br335 million from the defendants in the interests of the mayor's office of Novosibirsk. It ruled that the real damage due to the loss of property was caused not to the officials, but to the owners.
Novosibirsk is by no means the only region where people were killed or injured as a result of a gas explosion. A similar tragedy occurred in August 2024 in Nizhny Tagil, where a five-story residential building collapsed for similar reasons. Ten people died, including five children. Rescuers managed to pull out 15 residents, including seven children, from under the rubble.
According to the investigation, the tragedy occurred due to poor maintenance of equipment, as a result of which the house accumulated gas-air mixture. The accused in the case are three employees of the company "Gazex", who were the last to inspect the equipment in the house that collapsed later.
A view of an apartment building on Lineynaya Street in Novosibirsk destroyed by a domestic gas explosion. February 10, 2023
The defendants, including one woman, are charged with the same composition as those convicted in Novosibirsk. As "Izvestia" was told in the Investigative Committee, the case is currently under examination. If the court finds the defendants guilty, they also face up to 10 years in prison, lawyers explained earlier to Izvestia.
On April 11, 2022 in the city of Stupino, Moscow region, there was a domestic gas explosion on the fourth floor of a five-story panel building in Central Lane. As a result, six people were killed, including three children. Another 20 people were injured.
Pensioners are at risk
Cases of imposing the services of false gas installers on residents of apartment buildings are widespread throughout the country, the People's Front told Izvestia.
- Peopleare being imposed to replace old gas stoves, repair water heaters and other equipment by people who do not have the appropriate certification, " said Pavel Sklyanchuk, an expert of the project "People's Front. Analytics" Pavel Sklyanchuk. - In the risk zone are pensioners, who may succumb to this kind of exhortation of fraudsters and at the same time not realize that they have created risks of gas accumulation and leakage.
In the "People's Front" proposed to adopt amendments to the law, which would allow targeted inspection of gas equipment in apartments with the greatest risks. These are apartments whose owners do not want to let the gasmen or lead an antisocial lifestyle.
- It is necessary to make rounds and raids on such apartments, as they pose an increased danger to others, - believes Pavel Sklyanchuk. - This would be the most correct risk-oriented approach. It is also desirable to keep under control cases of replacement of gas equipment for pensioners, this will help to avoid tragedies like the one that occurred in Novosibirsk.
Despite the abundance of legislative initiatives put forward by deputies, the problem of gas safety in residential buildings remains unsolved, according to Svetlana Razvorotneva, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing Svetlana Razvorotneva.
- The State Duma has substantially increased the fines for failure to allow gas service representatives in, but it is unlikely to help change the situation," the deputy believes. - In situations where the consumer is unscrupulous, inspections and fines will not save, but gas leakage sensors with automatic shut-off, sale of gas stoves with the same shut-off, as well as subsidies to regions for the purchase of gas equipment for the poor. But so far there is nothing like that.
Playing it back
According to Svetlana Razvorotneva, the State Duma is currently considering two bills designed to, in a sense, "roll back" the not quite effective consequences of the law on specialized gas distribution organizations adopted in 2023. After other companies left the market, such organizations became monopolists in the market and raised prices.
At the same time, about a quarter of apartment buildings in Russia do not have centralized gas supply and do not have such service organizations. Therefore, these buildings are left without service.
Now, according to her, amendments to the law are being prepared to allow residents of individual apartment buildings and buildings without centralized gas supply to conclude contracts on a competitive basis with other certified organizations. That is, they want to bring a wider range of companies back to the market.
And the cost of work of specialized organizations is to be brought back under state regulation and included in the price of gas.
