In the Astrakhan Region, village head sentenced for fire casualties

The cassation instance of the Astrakhan Regional Court has upheld the guilty verdict on the criminal case against Vyacheslav Gadjiev, head of the Aksarai village soviet. The court found that he was guilty of villagers' deaths in the fire that happened in the settlement. At the same time, there is an opinion in the villagers that real culprits of the tragedy are high-ranking officials.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the press service of the Astrakhan Regional Court that Gadjiev was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a colony-settlement.

Let us remind you that the fire in Aksarai (Molodyozhny) village of the Astrakhan Region occurred at night on February 14, 2009. An old two-story multi-flat barrack burnt down. 16 persons perished. Dozens of fire victims lost their homes and property.

"All these barracks were to be demolished back in 1995," Elena Grebenyuk, whose mother lives in that very village, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in a telephone conversation.

She believes that the former head of the settlement Vyacheslav Gadjiev was unjustly punished. "Little was in his power," Elena Grebenyuk said. "He had no money for demolition of the barracks and people's resettlement to new homes. But the real culprits of the tragedy - high-ranking officials - remained immune and unpunished."

At the administration of the Astrakhan Region, an official, who asked not to name him, said that in August 1999 the administration of the Krasnoyarsk District transferred the Molodyozhny settlement under the management of the Aksarai village soviet. Thus, the duty to resettle residents and demolish the barracks passed over to the village soviet. Rather than demolish the barracks after "Gazprom" employees had been moved out of there, the head of the village allowed new immigrants to settle there again.

"Thus, no doubt that Gadjiev is guilty," said the regional official.