Sauna owners in Prokopyevsk sentenced to terms of up to 9.5 years over the deaths of five teenagers

Verdict in the Prokopyevsk fire case

A court in Kemerovo Region sentenced sauna owner Alexey Dolgachev, the facility's manager Pavel Dolgachev, and administrator Elena Selishcheva to real prison terms over a fire in which five teenagers died on January 31, 2026. All three were found guilty of providing services that fail to meet life and health safety requirements and negligently caused the death of two or more persons (Part 3 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the Investigative Committee of Russia reported. The owner received nine years and six months in a general-regime colony, the manager nine years and four months, and the administrator nine years. The regional prosecutor's office cited the same figures, noting that the sentences match the position of the state prosecution, reports Gazeta.Ru.

What the investigation established

According to the investigation, the businessman, together with his brother, illegally operated the sauna on Kubanskaya Street in Prokopyevsk with gross violations of fire safety requirements: the 70-square-meter building lacked the necessary firefighting equipment and accessible emergency exits. The administrator admitted six teenagers without adult supervision, without checking their age, left them unattended, and twice added firewood and coal to the stove without monitoring the temperature. The resulting fire and acrid smoke spread quickly through the premises, and the absence of safe evacuation routes prevented the visitors from getting out. Five teenagers aged 15 to 17 died of carbon monoxide poisoning; only one girl survived. The facility's operation was halted following a lawsuit by the prosecutor's office.

Compensation and the owner's earlier explanations

In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the convicted persons to pay the victims compensation for moral harm totaling 39 million rubles — these figures are cited by the prosecutor's office. Earlier, Life.ru reported , citing testimony from the facility's employees, that the owner had drawn up the evacuation plan himself and posted it on the wall without approval from the supervisory authorities. During questioning, the businessman stated that he had purchased fire extinguishers six months before the tragedy but had lost their certificates, could not explain why the teenagers had not used the emergency exits, and called the fire an accident, partially admitting his guilt.