Decrypted Calls Expose Listvyazhnaya Mine Negligence

Four years have passed since 51 people died trapped in smoke and flames at the Listvyazhnaya mine in Belovo, Kemerovo Oblast (Russia). The list of victims included five rescuers who lost their lives trying to extract miners from the trap. Subsequent trials over the explosion revealed a sickness afflicting the entire coal industry: total indifference to safety, years of violations, and foolish attempts to cover everything up.

On the anniversary, 25 November, the editorial office of NGS42.RU is publishing materials from the criminal case, including some previously unknown to the public.

In an eerie coincidence, drift No. 823 exploded at 08:23 on 25 November 2021. Dozens of miners who had descended into the face shortly before the incident were almost immediately injured and killed by the blast wave and ground collapse. About 300 employees were underground at the time.

The mine«s direct managers were detained 20 days after the incident. Handcuffed in the case of abuse of authority were the mine»s technical director Anton Yakutov, the head of SDS-Ugol (Siberian Business Union Coal), which managed the mine, Gennady Alekseev, and the main owner of the holding, the wealthiest businessman in the region Mikhail Fedyaev.

For four long years in Kuzbass, details and circumstances of Listvyazhnaya«s operation and its deadly consequences were investigated. The perpetrators heard the verdicts, symbolically, on the 25th, but not in November, but in March. What the court concluded, we will examine today.

Inevitable Outcome

The verdict in the criminal case spans more than 348 pages of small print listing testimony, expert reports, transcripts, and reports across dozens of volumes. The key thesis on the causes of the tragedy: in 2021, it was not a catastrophe but a predictable end to years of violations, ignored signals, and technological risks.

The case states that six months before the tragedy, control devices began signaling excess methane concentration in the faces. The ground was literally «boiling with gas,» SDS top manager Gennady Alekseev told main shareholder Mikhail Fedyaev.

In a telephone conversation presented in court, the director warned that one of the workings had become «very dangerous», and the enterprise «could lose people due to insane volumes of methane.» According to him, emergencies kept occurring in the face, and the miners were unable to stop them on their own.

«Alekseev reported that “Listvyazhnaya” is the most gassy mine in Kuzbass. It»s complex due to rock bursts,» — stated in the case materials.

In court, Alekseev confirmed that, despite the risk of explosion, mining continued. Moreover, miners descended to an extremely dangerous depth — 520 meters (about 1,706 feet). Methane levels steadily rose each day, so they aimed to fulfill the plan faster and close the working as soon as possible.

The inevitability of disaster was understood by the miners themselves. In their correspondence, miners discussed how they were forced to start the shaft and conveyor under the continuous beeping of gas analyzers, as well as details of accidents with their colleagues: «There was a flash in the mine due to a combine harvester, first 67% jumped from the ground, the guys almost burned, good thing there were fire extinguishers in the ventilation drift, everything was put out.»

«I reported to Alekseev what was really happening in the mine, he knew it perfectly well, and still kept increasing the plans more and more.»

But the public did not know the truth about frequent emergencies, victims, and gas pollution in the mine. There were two reasons: corrupt inspectors from Rostechnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision), who for several tons of coal and cash bribes «did not notice» violations, and the entrenched practice in Kuzbass — to deceive.

No Investment in Safety?

Before the explosion, Listvyazhnaya was considered a model and one of the most advanced mines in Russia. Director Sergei Makhrakov, who also sent miners to their deaths, was even recognized as the most effective manager in the coal industry a year before the explosion.

In court, the facade fell away, revealing that Listvyazhnaya had long been operating at a loss. Due to the critical situation, the SDS holding forgave its «daughter» billions of rubles in debts and left all profits with it. Only with its own funds, without external injections, could the mine ensure safe mining, as confirmed by judicial expertise.

Reports listed amounts supposedly spent on industrial safety. However, even the SDS leadership did not believe the authenticity of the numbers on paper, judging by their alarmed conversations after the tragedy.

When Fedyaev and his top managers were detained, it became known that their phones had been tapped, and some moments were voiced at the first hearing on preventive measures.

«You boldly plan numbers, but in fact, you calmly and impassively set zero. Zero, zero, zero. Here are so many zeros in the form of dead miners we got! How many zeros you set for purchasing sensors and analyzers. (Profanity used.) Don«t explain to me. Can»t you hear me? You plan money for serious capital articles, and next to it, you impassively set the fact — zero rubles, zero rubles, zero rubles», — Alekseev argued in a conversation with an employee, as follows from the case materials.

Specialists who studied the mine ruins found that many systems did not actually comply with design documentation, for example, explosion protection.

The Listvyazhnaya working was oversaturated with methane, and the only «artery» for ventilation was narrowing due to earthquakes. The chief engineer and technical director — Anton Yakutov — were supposed to monitor the drift«s condition, but, as revealed in court, he lacked specialized education. Before employment, the man had worked for many years in open-pit mines and, according to miner witnesses, had «general ideas» about mine gas pollution.

But the danger was so obvious that he, Alekseev, and Fedyaev all understood: the mine had become a huge powder keg. Any spark from electrical equipment or a combine harvester could level Listvyazhnaya with the ground, which is what happened.

In court, investigators insisted: the defendants did not stop mining in time because they did not want to lose profit. Workers remained silent, fearing wage cuts or dismissal. Although shortly before the tragedy, some workers wrote a desperate letter to Fedyaev complaining about the managers.

«People working underground risk dying every day, as many problems with ventilation and preliminary degassing of coal seams have not been resolved. Workers cover the sensors so they can work; in the mine, hot work is used everywhere, due to which workers are exposed to mortal danger», — described the essence of the letter in the case materials.

There was no response from the owner to the message.

Indifference or Stupidity?

Inaction in the situation with gas pollution in the face became the main argument of the investigation. The defendants did not see their guilt in this, citing various circumstances why conveyors continued to push coal through the methane-enveloped working.

Fedyaev assured that he completely trusted his top managers, so he did not delve into industrial safety issues. He did not change this rule even when he was effectively «employed» at the mine in the position of director for prospective development. Monthly receiving 4.1 million rubles (approximately $41,000 at current rates), he «still did not learn» about the monstrous gas pollution.

The businessman with years of experience managing coal assets, according to defenders, «sincerely believed that everything was fine at Listvyazhnaya» and allegedly fell for stories about «the best mine in Russia.»

In the courtroom, the holding head managed to fend off accusations of interest in operating the emergency mine — the court removed the line about personal gain from the verdict.

His accomplice Alekseev also managed to do this, who a year before the tragedy earned 33.4 million rubles (approximately $334,000 at current rates), 11 million of which were bonuses. The company generally did not skimp on rewards for managers. That same year, including for fulfilling the production plan, Yakutov received incentives of 2.5 million rubles (approximately $25,000 at current rates).

But in court, the defendants did not talk about income, trying to mitigate their fate, telling about emergency work during rescue and recovery operations and compensations.

The managers insisted that they provided «unprecedented assistance» to those who lost relatives and loved ones in the face. According to them, they considered all the families« wishes — they bought apartments, cars, paid for repairs. On this, as Fedyaev stated, about 1 billion rubles (approximately $10,000,000 at current rates) were spent.

But neither generous payments, nor positive characteristics, nor a load of regalia could save them from the guilty verdict.

The ultimate owner of Listvyazhnaya received a suspended sentence of 3.6 years and a temporary ban on managing hazardous facilities. Before the verdict, Mikhail Fedyaev stepped down as president of the SDS holding but to this day remains chairman of the board of directors.

Former head of SDS-Ugol Gennady Alekseev and the mine»s technical director Anton Yakutov were given real terms — five years each in a general regime colony. None of the three managers appealed the decision.

What Now?

The explosion on 25 November destroyed several kilometers of the Listvyazhnaya mine workings, but just a year later, Rosnedra issued a permit to develop a new deposit: mining resumed at the site of the tragedy in July 2023.

Mine employees stated that the new face and equipment received all necessary positive assessments. Supervisory agencies checked the ventilation and aerogas control systems.

But Listvyazhnaya continues to be caught for industrial safety violations. Since 2023, at least nine suspensions of the enterprise have been reported, including due to explosion threats.

Fedyaev did not particularly hide from the public and came into media focus, participating in public events. Last winter, he even appeared in the information field in the role of «savior» of Kuzbass during an acute shortage of subsidized coal. What fortune he had left after the tragedy, we examined earlier.

The two other culprits — Yakutov and Alekseev — were released a month ago. Nothing is known about their current lives, but one thing is clear — they are prohibited from managing mines and open-pit mines in the near future.

For more details on what happened underground and on the surface in the first day after the explosion, we previously examined with minute-by-minute accuracy.