Office Parties in Tyumen Lead to Prison, Stabbings, Dismissal

Gatherings with colleagues can sometimes end tragically. For instance, an employee is taken away by ambulance with a stab wound, fired for drinking a bottle of beer, or a person falls face-first on the floor and breaks their nose. These are all part of stories that happened in the Tyumen region.

How did it happen and what was the outcome? Read in our selection—these are stories from real court cases.

The names of the participants have been changed.

Brutally Beaten After a Party

It all happened after a corporate party held in the office. Ivan recalls how he arm-wrestled with his colleague Artem and won. They ran out of alcohol, and employees from the same company went to a store together. They bought more alcohol and continued the evening at the entrance of an apartment building. There, Artem argued with Ivan about work.

— Ivan started swearing insults, kicking his legs, waving his arms, and shouting something, — Artem testified in court.

Then he pushed Ivan to the ground and punched him in the head several times—in the ear, the back of the head, and the temple. Later, an acquaintance of Artem«s approached the entrance and hit the beaten man once more on the head. Ivan received another blow from his colleague, after which he fell from the porch steps. The next morning, he woke up in the hospital and stayed there for two weeks. The victim says his hearing deteriorated after the conflict.

A resident of the building saw the beaten man on the street and called an ambulance. The next day, Ivan«s wife filed a police report. Artem was found guilty of intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm committed by a group of persons. The court sentenced him to 5 years in a penal colony and one year of restricted freedom.

Stabbed a Colleague

The corporate event was held at a recreation center, and colleagues were drinking. Vladimir was grilling shashlik and, when he finished, went to the next room. Maxim approached him and suggested he rest because he had drunk a lot. When Vladimir refused, his colleague began speaking in a raised voice. This became the trigger for what happened next.

— I went out for a smoke. Vladimir came up with wild eyes and said: «Here you go,» — the victim Maxim recounts.

Maxim felt a blow to his stomach and at first thought he was being punched. Then he saw a kitchen knife and blood on the carpet. The injured man himself asked for an ambulance to be called. At the hospital, it was discovered that the knife had penetrated the abdominal cavity and wounded the intestine. For causing grievous bodily harm, Vladimir was sentenced to three years in a correctional colony. He admitted guilt and paid his colleague 50,000 rubles (about $556 at current rates).

Fired for Beer an Hour Before the Party

Irina worked as a manager. One day, the company«s employees were preparing for a corporate party. An hour before departure, the woman opened a bottle of non-alcoholic beer. Her boss accused Irina of consuming alcohol at the workplace and demanded a written explanation. She threatened to fire the employee for violating discipline. The worker had been performing her duties conscientiously, and there was no proof she was drunk during work hours. But despite this, Irina was fired.

The manager disagreed with this decision and went to court. She believed the employer had fired her on purpose to cut staff and reduce expenses. Irina needed the job to support her three young children. As a result, the court ruled Irina«s dismissal illegal and reinstated her. The company was ordered to pay 6,000 rubles (about $67 at current rates) to the state budget.

Drunk Woman Fell on Tiles and Broke Her Nose

Another story from a corporate party was shared by our reader. Svetlana says this particular celebration is the one she remembers most.

— We were having such a great time with the guys: singing, dancing, and drinking... To be honest, I overdid it with alcohol and didn«t eat enough, so I got drunk. At the end of the evening, we decided to continue the banquet. We got dressed and went outside. There were paving tiles on the ground. Hard ones. While everyone was getting ready and putting on their coats, I fell asleep. And I did it standing up. At one point, I just collapsed flat. I hit my face on the tiles, breaking my nose. There was blood and marks from the impact. So I went to work and on important errands until the end of the year with a bandage on half my face. Now it»s all healed, and I really hope nothing like that ever happens again, — the Tyumen woman said.

December begins the season of corporate parties, taxi rides with heavy bags of groceries, and a surge in doctor visits due to pre-holiday feasts. For taxi drivers, hosts, doctors, and animators, this means work without days off and a chance to earn several times more. How do professionals in different fields experience the period before New Year? Tyumen residents shared with us.