Prosecution and Defense Disagree with Engineer's Verdict
On February 2, the Krasnoarmeysky District Court of Volgograd issued a verdict against former chief engineer of «Water Supply Concessions» Dmitry Lebedev. He was found guilty of an explosion at a sewage pumping station that killed six people. However, the court ordered forced labor instead of imprisonment, leading to dissatisfaction from both sides.
The tragedy occurred in the summer of 2024. On the night of July 5, at Pumping Station No. 4, an electric motor burned out, and measurements showed carbon dioxide levels 58 times above normal and hydrogen sulfide 8 times above. That day, foreman Mikhail Kurakin died. The next day, July 6, on Lebedev«s instructions, the installation of an additional exhaust system began at the station. During the work, an explosion occurred, destroying the building and killing five people.
The court found that Lebedev violated labor protection requirements and safety rules during construction work, which negligently led to the deaths. As punishment, he was sentenced to 3.5 years of forced labor with 10% of his earnings deducted for the state, and a ban on holding certain positions for 2.5 years.
The defense disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal it. Lawyer Anna Lisitskaya stated: «We do not agree with this verdict. We will file an appeal, even though the imposed punishment fundamentally differs from what the prosecutor requested. We still disagree with the charges and believe our client is innocent.»
According to the defense, responsibility for the explosion lies with several employees and managers of «Concessions,» but only the chief engineer was brought to court. The lawyers claim that the cause of the tragedy was a volley discharge of hundreds of tons of petroleum products into the wastewater, leading to the formation of an explosive mixture. However, they say the investigation ignores this fact.
The prosecution, represented by Deputy Prosecutor of Krasnoarmeysky District Darya Lebedeva, insists on Dmitry Lebedev«s guilt. According to the prosecution, he acted »creating the appearance of efficiency in his work« before management. The investigation believes the explosion occurred due to violations in the ventilation system, leading to the accumulation of dangerous gases, while emergency alarms and ventilation were absent.
The Volgograd Regional Prosecutor«s Office stated: »It has been established that Lebedev did not ensure the proper operation of the supply and exhaust ventilation in the receiving department of sewage pumping station No. 4, resulting in the formation of a toxic and explosive gas-air mixture of sewer gases.«
The prosecutor«s office has already called the verdict excessively lenient and plans to appeal it. However, at the announcement of the verdict on February 2, the state prosecution representative was not present.
