Authorities Detain Balashikha Hostel Administrator After Deadly Fire
In the Moscow region town of Balashikha, one of the homeowners has been detained where an illegal hostel was registered. On January 27, a fire here killed four migrants from Cuba — they might have been burning a fire to keep warm.
According to the Investigative Committee, the detainee is a 51-year-old woman, referred to as the hostel administrator. She used residential premises as a mini-hotel and rented out rooms, including to foreigners.
«According to the investigation, from March 2025 to January 2026, the suspect, acting on a power of attorney and on the instructions of one of the property owners, essentially used it as a hostel, providing services for renting out residential rooms for a fee on a temporary basis, including to foreign citizens who knowingly informed her of the illegality of their stay in Russia,» the statement said.
The Investigative Committee added that the house was not equipped with fire suppression systems, and tenants were not familiarized with safety measures. Investigators interrogated the woman, and she gave a confession.
«I admit my guilt, I repent of what I did,» she said during interrogation.
Investigators have opened a criminal case under the article on causing death by negligence resulting in the death of two or more persons (Part 3 of Article 109 of the Russian Criminal Code). The maximum penalty under this article is 4 years of imprisonment.
The hostel administrator is also charged under paragraph «a» of Part 2 of Article 322.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (Organization of Illegal Migration). Under this, she could face up to seven years of imprisonment.
