News

Alexander Bastrykin holds a personal reception of citizens

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia held a video-conference reception of citizens. It was attended by the First Deputy and Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee Eduard Kaburneev and Sergey Goryaynov, heads of the Central Office divisions, as well as heads and employees of investigative departments processing criminal inquiries and probe materials that drew the attention of the Chairman. In terms of the reception Alexander Bastrykin listened to complainants and reports of his subordinates on investigation of a number of transport incidents.

The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia was addressed by relatives of crew members of An-2 aircraft that disappeared in 2020. The aircraft took off from the runway in the village of Kyren, Tunkinsky district, Republic of Buryatia, on 19 July 2020. The flight plan has not been submitted to the air traffic service centre. On July 21, 2020, investigators of the East-Siberian Transport Investigations Department (now part of the Eastern Interregional Transport Investigations Department) initiated a criminal case under Part 3 Article 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of rules for safety and operation of air transport), and the wreckage of the plane was found only a few days ago. The victims complained of poor organisation of the search operations and said that a full set of measures to establish the circumstances of the tragedy and those responsible, including officials as well as the owners of the private company that had rented the plane for the flight, had not been carried out. Alexander Bastrykin listened to report of his subordinates and pointed out a number of significant drawbacks. He instructed the direction of the Eastern Interregional Transport Investigations Department to organize a reception of all the victims and to answer all their questions. An official assessment was launched into a number of employees involved in the investigation. Alexander Bastrykin ordered to complete investigation of the probe in the shortest possible time.

An applicant from the Chelyabinsk Region complained about the refusal of the investigative authorities of the Ural Transport Investigations Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (currently part of the Central Interregional Transport Investigations Department) to initiate a criminal investigation into the death of her 17-year-old daughter. In March 2021 the young girl was hit by a freight train on a pedestrian platform of Chebarkul station. platform of Chebarkul station. A probe under Part 2 of Article 263 (violation of rules for safe operation and use of railway transport) and Article 293 of the Criminal Code of Russia (negligence) was launched only on July 1, 2021. According to the complainant, the procedural probe was carried out in an inadequate way. She also disagrees with the conclusion of the investigation that the girl was crossing the railway tracks in a place unfit for crossing. The investigation didn't take into account that the flooring across the railway track was not cleared of snow and ice, which contributed to the daughter's fall under the train. Alexander Bastrykin heavily criticized the work of his subordinates, appointed an official assessment in relation to the employees and heads of the transport investigative unit, results of which, among other things, will contribute to consideration of the issue of dismissal of the investigator who was processing the probe. Alexander Bastrykin demanded to establish in the shortest possible time the circle of the responsible persons and all circumstances that led to the girl's death.

Later the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia was addressed by victims under a probe into sinking of Onega fishing vessel in the Barents Sea on December 28, 2020 with 19 crew members on board. 17 persons died in the tragedy. The criminal case was initiated by investigating authorities of the North-Western Transport Investigations Department (now part of the Western Interregional Transport Investigations Department) under Part 3 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violation of traffic safety rules and the operation of sea transport). The investigators also reported that they had launched a probe under Part 3 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violation of labor safety rules, committed by a person responsible for compliance with them, entailing by negligence death of two or more persons), in terms of which the Deputy Chairman of the M. I. Kalinin's collective fishing farm was detained. However, according to the complainants, the investigation doesn't inform them on results of the investigation and fails to carry out a full set of measures to conduct search activities and find the bodies of the missing and raise the vessel, and doesn't listen to arguments of the victims. Alexander Bastrykin entrusted the further investigation to investigators of the Central Office of the Investigative Committee of Russia. The officers of the transport investigations department will be subject to official assessment. The Main Forensics Center of the Investigative Committee of Russia was ordered to provide assistance to the investigators. Also, they were instructed to ensure participation of the Forensic Expert Center of the Investigative Committee of Russia. In the nearest future the Committee will hold a briefing on preliminary results of investigation. Apart from that, Alexander Bastrykin instructed to provide the families of the deceased with assistance in solving social issues including those concerning education of children.

Following the reception, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia gave a number of other instructions over the said probes.