Family Death in Norilsk: Investigative Committee Ignores Officials Involved in Tragedy
The Norilsk City Court has dismissed the criminal case against Yevgeny Panfyorov, the former head of the Norilsk City Hall's Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Department and a current United Russia member of the Novosibirsk Regional Legislative Assembly, regarding the deaths of people in an avalanche.
The case materials have been transferred “according to jurisdiction,” but where exactly and at what stage the process is is unknown.
The tragedy occurred on January 8, 2021, when an avalanche struck houses near Mount Otdelnaya. Businessman Vladislav Popov, who operated a Norilsk Nickel-owned cable car, his wife, and their one-and-a-half-year-old child were killed. Their eldest son was seriously injured, and another family was also injured.
Only Norilsk administration employees Arab Shamsadov and Andrey Listrovy were convicted of negligence resulting in death. Several municipal employees and officials from the Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Department were acquitted. Panfyorov's case was initially separated into a separate proceeding and then suspended after he was deployed to fight in Ukraine.
The victims' representative, Ruslan Abdullaev, believes that the city administration's inaction led to the deaths of almost the entire family. Despite this, the Investigative Committee refuses to conduct a further investigation, claiming the complaints contain no new evidence.
