Siberian on Trial for Attempted Murder After Arson
According to the wife of the alleged arsonist, he was drunk.
Apr 17, 2026 0
The fire severely damaged the house, investigators estimated the damage at over 500,000 rubles (approximately $5,600 at current rates).
Source:
A 56-year-old resident of the village of Nagorny in the Novosibirsk region will go to court for the attempted murder of six people, three of whom are children. According to the investigation, on November 18, 2025, the man set fire to the porch of the house so that the flames would block the only exit to the street. He was unable to carry out his terrible plan only because the victims were able to leave the house through windows.
According to his wife, the alleged arsonist is generally a positive person: he loves his grandchildren very much, even though they are not technically his own, and often took them for rides on a motorized cultivator.
Source:
As told by NGS, one of the victims, Irina, the wife of 56-year-old Sergei Demidov, said that her husband was drunk that day, the couple had a quarrel, and Irina along with her adult daughter went to the neighboring house. Sergei tried to call his wife back, and when she refused, he set fire to items lying on the porch.
‘He didn’t knock on the door, didn’t shout, but I heard some click, opened the door, and there was already fire outside. I immediately started grabbing them [the three grandchildren, daughter, and neighbor], we didn’t even get dressed. I pushed them all out the window, I was the last to come out—that’s when the fire singed my hand,’ Irina told NGS.
Besides her, two other people sought medical help.
‘As a result of the accused’s intentional criminal actions, three victims, including one young child, received burns of varying severity, and property of the house residents was destroyed for a total amount of over 600,000 rubles (approximately $6,700 at current rates),’ the investigative department of the Investigative Committee for the Novosibirsk region said.
According to the investigation, the alleged arsonist fled the crime scene but was soon detained. He was charged with attempted murder of six people committed in a generally dangerous manner (Part 3 of Article 30, Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), and arson (Part 2 of Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The investigation took less than three months, and the case materials were transferred to court the day before.
At the end of January, another very similar criminal case went to court—concerning attempted murder by arson in the Kupinsky district. According to the investigation, the accused was drunk and decided to take revenge on the victim for the breakup of the relationship.
Read more
