Tyumen Couple Sentenced for Fire Deaths of Four Children

The outcome of the high-profile Boyarkin family case has been revealed, in which four children died in their home in autumn 2020. Recall that the tragedy occurred on September 30 in the Malinka gardening community near Tyumen. In the fire, 11-year-old Nikolai, 6-year-old Alexander, 4-year-old Varvara, and 3-year-old Denis perished.

The parents — Irina and Alexander Boyarkin — were tried under two articles of the Criminal Code: for leaving children in danger and for fraud in receiving social benefits. We have studied the verdict and are providing details.

What happened on the night of the fire

The main charge was leaving children in a knowingly dangerous situation. The court established that at night, around five in the morning, the couple left the house, leaving their four young children alone. The children were sleeping, the doors and windows were locked, and the house was heated with electric heaters.

While the parents were away, the electrical panel caught fire. The fire quickly spread to the second floor. The children woke up but could not escape — the doors and bars on the first-floor windows were closed.

One girl died immediately from carbon monoxide poisoning. Three children were pulled out by neighbors through a second-floor window, but all sustained severe burns and later died in the hospital.

The parents insisted that they had left briefly — allegedly to a 24-hour pharmacy. According to Irina, her legs hurt badly; according to Alexander, he needed medicine. Why they did not go to the nearest pharmacy, they never convincingly explained.

The spouses did not admit their guilt in leaving the children unsupervised. They claimed that the house was new, the wiring was in good condition, and the heaters were used according to instructions. Also, the case materials indicate that after the tragedy, both parents were found to have prohibited substances in their bodies.

For this, they were held administratively liable and sent for treatment. The Boyarkins themselves asserted that they did not use drugs.

How, according to the court, the Boyarkins defrauded the state

The second charge was fraud. As follows from the verdict of the Tyumen Central District Court, the spouses received more than two million rubles (approximately $20,000 at current rates) from the state for housing purchase. This amount included about 1.6 million rubles (approximately $16,000 at current rates) under the «Young Family» program and approximately 446,000 rubles (approximately $4,500 at current rates) of maternity capital.

The house they chose actually cost about 1.8 million rubles (approximately $18,000 at current rates), but in the documents, they indicated an inflated price — more than two million rubles. This was done intentionally. With the seller, the Boyarkins had agreed in advance. In the purchase agreement, they would list a higher cost, and after the money was transferred, the difference would be returned in cash.

The court concluded that the spouses stole almost 280,000 rubles (approximately $2,800 at current rates) from the budget. Their actions were qualified as fraud in receiving social benefits on a large scale, committed by prior conspiracy.

What sentence did the court impose

The Central District Court found both spouses guilty. Irina Boyarkina was given a 2.5-year suspended prison sentence. Alexander Boyarkin received a similar punishment.

Later, the prosecutor«s office appealed the verdict in the regional court. As a result, the punishment was increased. For the totality of crimes, the final term was two years and seven months of suspended imprisonment each.

Earlier we wrote about another similar case. A resident of the Uvat District was tried for the death of a child. The woman left her young son alone in the apartment when a fire occurred. The child died. The tragedy happened in the Uvat District back in 2023. The woman left home, leaving the sleeping child alone, and locked the apartment door. While she was away, a short circuit occurred. The boy was poisoned by combustion products and died in the hospital. And the woman was charged with causing death by negligence.