The Amur Region investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have initiated a criminal case for signs of a crime under part 1 of article 293 of the RF Criminal Code (negligence). The criminal investigation was started into the damage caused by the flood on 10 August 2013 to the dike of Shimanovsky reservoir located in the northern outskirts of the town of Shimanovsk and designed to prevent damages by the Bolshaya Pera River during floods and.
According to investigators, the said dike was included in the register of Shimanovsk municipal property on 1 November 2003. On 11 May 2010, Shimanovsky reservoir was registered in The Single State Register of Rights on real assets and transactions as ownerless property. Yet the officials of the Shimanovsk town administration authorized to manage the municipal property, did not asked the court to recognize the municipal property right on the reservoir until 16 August 2013. In this connection the maintenance organization managing the reservoir has not been determined until the present day, which has not allowed keeping it in proper state.
As a result of officials’ negligence on 10 August 2013 the dike of Shimanovsky reservoir was ruptured by the flood and all the water from the reservoir poured down on Shimanovsk in Amur Region. 69 houses inhabited by 328 people were flooded, the property was partially or completely destroyed. The total value of the destroyed and damaged property is estimated at about 27 million rubles.
In addition, the investigating bodies in the Jewish Autonomous Region have launched a criminal investigation into improper discharge of duty by the officials of Land Reclamation and Agricultural Water Supply in the Jewish Autonomous Region (part 1 of article 293 of the RF Criminal Code).
According to investigators, the officials, who were in charge of running the hydraulic facilities during the massive flood, in June 2012 admitted into operation the Oktyabrsky dike of Oktyabrsky district in the Jewish Autonomous Region after it had been partially reconstructed by OOO Gelios (LLC). Nevertheless the reconstruction was paid for in full from the federal budget during realization of the target- specific program “Agricultural land and landscape preservation and restoration as Russian national patrimony in 2006-2010 and until 2013”. The damage to the federal budget caused by acceptance and payment for basically not accomplished restoration is more than 1.5 million rubles.
At present investigating operations are under way to identify all officials involved in these crimes. Investigation is ongoing.
Head of Media Relations V.I. Markin
PDF version 
DOC version
