Death at Perekryostok store shakes retail giant

After a fatal incident involving security at a Perekryostok store in St. Petersburg, law enforcement has increased pressure on the chain. The Investigative Committee is treating the case as intentional murder, and police are conducting large-scale checks on compliance with migration legislation. The article details the incident and assesses the possible financial losses for the company.

Deadly Detention

On 21 January, an incident at the City Mall shopping complex in St. Petersburg led to the death of a 24-year-old visitor named Dmitry. Security guards at the Perekryostok store suspected him of theft and attempted to detain him. The man resisted and pulled out an aerosol gun. Surveillance cameras captured three security guards forcing him to the floor. One lay on top of him, another pressed on his back, leading to asphyxiation. Dmitry shouted that he could not breathe and soon lost consciousness. The hospital pronounced him dead.

The Investigative Committee initially opened a case of negligent homicide, but after a forensic medical examination determined the cause of death as mechanical asphyxiation, reclassified it as murder. Two guards have been charged, while the third managed to fly to Uzbekistan. According to the publication, all three worked for the company Petersburg-Bezopasnost. The company itself called the incident a tragedy, and X5 Group, which operates the Perekryostok chain, reported an internal investigation and cooperation with the investigation.

The security company Petersburg-Bezopasnost was founded in 1997, with the legal entity established in 2006. The owner is Irina Novikova. In 2024, revenue amounted to 150.9 million rubles (approximately $1.68 million at current rates), net profit was 3.6 million rubles (approximately $40,000 at current rates). In 2025, the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) found violations: some employees worked without private security guard status, others had not undergone medical examination. The company was fined 4,000 rubles (approximately $44 at current rates).

Law Enforcement Response

Law enforcement responded on a large scale. The day after the incident, police conducted a raid on an X5 Group logistics facility and detained 37 foreigners. On 23 January, checks began in the chain«s stores themselves. Hundreds of police and Rosgvardia officers visited the outlets, checking employees» documents.

Supermarkets in the Five Lakes shopping center, Port Nakhodka, City Mall, Baltiysky, and others were checked. At all locations, security now consists of employees of Slavic appearance. Correspondents confirmed checks at stores on Dumskaya Street, Kirpichny Lane, Yefimova Street, the Planet Neptun shopping center, the Ligov trade and retail complex, and on Kremenchugskaya Street. Everywhere, checks lasted from 20 minutes to an hour, there were no detentions, and store operations were not interrupted.

In the context of the incident, the case of George Floyd in the United States in 2020 is recalled, when police officer Derek Chauvin detained a suspect by pressing his knee to the asphalt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, leading to death. This sparked mass protests.

The Perekryostok Chain: History and Performance

The Perekryostok chain was founded in 1994 by Mikhail Fridman and Alexander Kosyanenko. In 2006, it merged with Pyaterochka to form X5 Retail Group (now X5 Group). The group is Russia«s largest food retailer with a 16.9% market share. The number of employees exceeds 416,000.

Since 1 July 2024, the head structure of X5 Group has been registered in Moscow. Previously, the main shareholders were CTF Holdings S.A. (47.86%) and Intertrust Trustees Ltd (11.43%). After delisting, the company«s shares are again traded on the Moscow Exchange from January 2025.

For the third quarter of 2025, X5 Group«s revenue amounted to 3.4 trillion rubles (approximately $37.8 billion at current rates). Perekryostok»s net retail revenue for January-September 2025 was 385 billion rubles (approximately $4.3 billion at current rates). At the end of 2025, there are over 1,000 stores in Russia, with 125 in St. Petersburg.

Calculations show that the average daily revenue of the Perekryostok chain is about 1.41 billion rubles (approximately $15.7 million at current rates), and that of a single store is about 1.4 million rubles (approximately $15,600 at current rates). Thus, a one-day shutdown of all St. Petersburg stores could result in a loss of 177 million rubles (approximately $2 million at current rates).

Public Reaction and Calls for Boycott

On social media, users are actively expressing outrage over the incident. In comments on Perekryostok«s posts on VKontakte, there are calls for a boycott and accusations of cruelty.

For example, user Daniella wrote: «Boycott Perekryostok!!! I am shocked, what a cruel murder happened in the store.» Artyom added: «SCUM! THEY KILLED THE GUY!».

Store representatives respond that they are conducting an internal investigation and cooperating with law enforcement. Comments on the posts were closed, but ordinary customer questions about products and promotions remain.