Kuzbass sauna owner admits guilt, court imposes restraint

Entrepreneur from Prokopyevsk Alexey Dolgachev himself hand-drew the evacuation plan for the sauna, which burned down last weekend along with five teenagers who were relaxing there. In court on Monday, February 2, where a restraint measure was chosen for him, he partially admitted guilt for what happened.

The investigation and prosecutor«s office insisted on Dolgachev»s arrest, arguing that he might allegedly flee from justice, despite having two children and a disability.

The court took into account that the man partially admitted guilt, but still sent him to a pre-trial detention center for two months, until March 31, while the investigation into the tragedy is ongoing.

The accused«s wife said that she rented an apartment in Kemerovo because she assumed that he could be closer to the investigation if he were left free.

During the hearing, it became known that the entrepreneur bought the building almost 15 years ago, and there were already saunas there. He himself repaired everything and maintained it in working order, moreover, he hand-drew the evacuation plan. Dolgachev noted that everything that happened was an accident, not malicious intent.

At the time of the emergency, he was in Novosibirsk, where from the news he learned about the mass death of minors and one person saved in the fire.

For more details on the hearing, read our online report. NGS42 has compiled all information about the teenagers« deaths in the sauna in a special feature.