Yakutia week: teen dies in tank, plane emergency, deputy convicted

This past week saw several high-profile incidents in Yakutia, including a child«s death in a tank, an emergency landing of a plane bound for Yakutsk, and the trial of an Il Tumen deputy. But let»s take things in order. Here are the most important and interesting stories in the weekly digest from 14.RU.

Teen dies in exhibition tank

The first and most shocking news of the week is the death of a teenager in a tank on museum grounds. Investigators are looking into the causes. Here«s what is known so far.

A 16-year-old boy named Anton went out for a walk with his friend and wandered onto the territory of the «Russia — My History» museum on the evening of 20 January. The boy climbed into the tank through a lower hatch in the floor. According to official information from the republic«s prosecutor»s office, he entered the fighting compartment, where he accidentally activated the gun barrel«s emergency release mechanism. He was struck in the head and died on the spot.

Military equipment appeared near the «Russia — My History» museum in November, unveiled as part of a Republican Anti-Fascist Forum. Yakutians were shown combat models of NATO equipment and Russian military hardware. There were also exhibitions by war photojournalists and front-line newspapers. More about the equipment on display here.

All emergency services rushed to the scene — ambulance, police, investigators, and the prosecutor«s office. A museum employee informed the family of the tragedy. He first called the boy»s mother, but she was in the cardio-surgery department — she had recently undergone surgery after a heart attack. In the end, the boy«s father and sister arrived at the scene.

Anton was a 9th-grade student at School No. 2 in Yakutsk, planning to take exams in the summer and enter a cadet school — the child had dreamed of becoming a soldier since childhood. When the special military operation began, he even said he wanted to grow up faster to serve, to be with those who are defending. His love for military equipment may have been the reason the teenager decided to climb inside the tank.

Relatives believe this would not have happened if the tank«s hatch had been welded shut. Investigators hold a similar opinion — they have opened a criminal case for causing death by negligence. Head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin has taken control of the case. The progress of the investigation is being monitored by the prosecutor»s office.

In the museum«s MAX channel, they stated they plan to help the boy»s family. Relatives, meanwhile, have announced a fundraiser for the funeral. The farewell ceremony for the boy will be held on 24 January.

Deputy Poskachin convicted

Il Tumen deputy Vladimir Poskachin is a well-known opposition figure in Yakutia, who can argue with the chairman of the regional parliament right during a session and easily criticize Head of the Republic Aisen Nikolaev in a live broadcast.

In July, searches were conducted at his home, and 72 rounds of 7.62 x 54 mm caliber with tracer bullets were found. They are considered combat ammunition and are not intended for storage by ordinary citizens. Immediately after, Poskachin stated that the criminal case was allegedly fabricated and linked to his political stance.

The criminal investigation lasted several months, reached court by the end of the year, and the verdict was delivered on 20 January. Poskachin was sentenced to one and a half years of restricted freedom — he will be required to periodically report to a local police officer and notify if he plans to leave the city. The verdict can be appealed within 15 days of its issuance. He has 20 days to appeal the decision. In his Telegram channel, the deputy has already announced he intends to appeal to the Supreme Court of Yakutia.

Poskachin insists the rounds were old, their expiration date had passed back in the 90s, and therefore he considers the court«s decision that their storage could be dangerous to society incorrect. The deputy noted that during the examination, 28 out of 72 rounds were tested, although allegedly only three were sufficient to check their functionality. He suspects that most of them misfired.

«Ordinary hunting cartridges are certainly more dangerous if you just think about it properly. Old rounds, even with tracer bullets, especially ones that constantly misfire, are hardly more dangerous than fresh hunting cartridges that all hunters who own carbines store,» he wrote in his Telegram channel.

Plane bound for Yakutia freezes in the air

Yakutians returning from Novosibirsk to Yakutsk on the night of 23 January could not get home on time. Their plane was diverted to Krasnoyarsk. The cause was a malfunction — cabin pressure dropped, causing oxygen masks to deploy. Everyone was frightened.

The plane landed in Krasnoyarsk around 01:30 and passengers were left waiting. On the afternoon of 23 January, another plane from Vnukovo Airport flew to pick them up. By evening they had reached the republic«s capital.

The General Director of Yakutia Airlines, Vladimir Nikolaev, commented on the situation in his Telegram channel: the plane simply froze.

«According to preliminary data, the pressure drop in the cabin occurred due to ice forming on the valve regulating pressure; a special commission is investigating the cause. The smell of burning occurs due to the operation of the oxygen generator that powers the passenger masks,» wrote Vladimir Nikolaev.

He explained that in case of pressure loss, the crew was supposed to perform an emergency descent to a safe altitude according to procedure. The crew trains for such situations twice a year on special simulators.

Passengers complained they were not provided hotel rooms and there was no communication with the airline. Yakutia explained this by the absence of their representative at the airport, as there are no regular flights to Krasnoyarsk.

An investigation into the incident is now underway, involving staff from the special commission of the Interregional Territorial Directorate of Rosaviatsiya (the Federal Air Transport Agency) and transport prosecutor«s office employees.

Oldest gymnasium building to be restored

The building of the old boys« gymnasium in Yakutsk was built in 1873. It is considered the only preserved 19th-century wooden civil structure in eastern Russia. The gymnasium»s walls are made of timber using a rare corner-notching technique «v lapu» (without protruding log ends), which was considered a sign of high craftsmanship and aesthetics of the time.

Within these walls studied world-renowned scientist, founder of Yakut ethnography Gavriil Ksenofontov, outstanding historian and ethnographer Grigory Popov, and prominent public and political figure, scientist, writer, and journalist Vasily Nikiforov-Kyulymnyur.

At the same time, the gymnasium was noted for an extremely low level of student preparation. Only 2–3% of enrolled children completed the course. The main reason was the high fee — 6–7 rubles a year (less than $1 at current rates), or 38,500 rubles in modern terms (about $513), as well as low motivation among students and their parents: many believed it was enough to learn Russian and master counting and writing. Talented students were taken to Irkutsk. Over the years of its existence, only 52 students graduated from the progymnasium.

It burned down back in 2014, with fire destroying most of the building. Yakutsk Mayor Evgeny Grigoriev announced on 20 January that the gymnasium building would be transferred to the city«s balance sheet and later restored. This was discussed earlier with the leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Spiritual Development, which owns the gymnasium. Grigoriev wants to create an exhibition for the city museum there as part of the »Old Town — 2« project.

According to him, a restoration project already exists. All that remains is to complete the transfer process to the city administration, after which work can begin.

Chinese tourists fail to reach Dragon«s Head

Chinese people have a belief: if you see the Dragon«s Head, you will be happy all your life. By Dragon»s Head they mean Cape Paksa in the Anabar district of Yakutia, whose outline strongly resembles the mythological creature.

A group of tourists thirsting for happiness set out from Yakutsk in their cars on 10 January. They started right from the New Year tree on Ordzhonikidze Square. An algys (a Yakut blessing ritual) was performed for them and they were treated to kumys (fermented mare«s milk).

By 15 January they reached the village of Olenek in the eponymous district of Yakutia. Seven cars made it to that point, two dropped out. Local chats wrote that these cars were not prepared for the Yakut winter. Rescuers« assistance was not needed.

Upon entering the Olenek district, the Chinese observed Yakut traditions and fed the earth with oladushki (pancakes) — this is done for a good journey; during the long trip they sang Russian songs «Podmoskovnye Vechera» (Moscow Nights) and «Katyusha».

On 20 January came sad news — they could not reach the Dragon«s Head. They were taken to the cape on Trekol all-terrain vehicles, but a blizzard blocked their path. Continuing was too dangerous, and they had to turn back.

Despite the failure, it is noted that the guests still were satisfied with the trip. The Telegram channel «Echo of the Capital» indicated how much the tourists spent. The amount was impressive: just lodging at Yakutsk«s »Tygyn Darkhan« hotel cost them 300,000 rubles (about $4,000 at current rates), and they spent the same amount on souvenirs. 100,000 rubles (about $1,300) were spent on buying Yakut knives and preparing the cars for the trip. Several hundred thousand went to evacuating two broken-down cars. Escort services were paid for separately.

Unexpected robotization occurs

In Yakutsk, waiter robots have unexpectedly begun to be tested. They started with School No. 40 — this initiative was put forward by the head of the Yakutsk education board, Maria Petrova. BellaBot is actually already popular in Moscow, often purchased by various shopping centers, but for it to appear in Yakutsk, and in a school no less — this is something new.

According to data from the manufacturer«s website »Vashi Roboty« (Your Robots), renting a robot costs from 8,000 rubles per hour (about $107), and purchasing — almost a million rubles (about $13,300).

The robot deftly maneuvers between tables. The «employee» is not tall and is quite cute in appearance with large expressive screen eyes. The canteen workers consider it a full-fledged assistant. BellaBot is fully autonomous and can work without constant supervision, can say: «Careful, it»s hot!« and carry several trays at once.

According to the director of School No. 40, Varvara Kychkina, this robot should help student monitors carry trays of food.

«The children are delighted, the process has become faster, more interesting, and resembles a fragment from the future. BellaBot is a smart machine equipped with navigation systems, obstacle sensors, and several tray shelves. It can independently build a route based on a pre-loaded map of the room, carefully avoiding people and tables,» the director said.

Bull and cow pass away

For nearly 18 years, the Yakut native bull Maana and cow Sakhaya lived at the Leningrad Zoo. That is quite a lot for these animals. On 22 January came sad news: they died, old age took its toll.

Sakhaya was brought to St. Petersburg in 2007 from the Yakut zoo «Orto Doydu»; she loved winter and felt best in the frost. Maana arrived a year later; staff remember his soft and kind nature and love for mischief. In old age, Sakhaya had a severe form of cancer, and Maana had joint problems.

Veterinarians and zoo staff did everything possible to prolong the cow and bull«s lives: they interacted with them a lot, entertained them with toys. Maana happily interacted with visitors until the end, while Sakhaya had difficulty tolerating noise, so she was given a separate enclosure.

«Unfortunately, nature has allotted everyone their time. Sakhaya and Maana have left us, leaving behind kind and bright memories. We sincerely sympathize with everyone who, like us, loved the Yakut cow and bull and came to the zoo to see them,» wrote the zoo«s Telegram channel.