13:54, 2 February 2026

The prosecutor's office announced an appeal of the verdict in the Volgograd death case.

The site of a gas explosion at a pumping station in Volgograd. July 2024. Photo: Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations

A Volgograd court convicted the former chief engineer of Water Supply Concessions LLC, who was accused of violating labor safety regulations.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in July 2024, an explosion occurred at a pumping station in Volgograd. Investigators initially reported that two people were killed – a shift supervisor and a welder. The body of a mechanic was found on July 11, and the body of another worker was discovered on July 13. At the end of July, the body of another worker was found under the rubble.

The Krasnoarmeysky District Court of Volgograd today sentenced Dmitry Lebedev, the former chief engineer of Water Supply Concessions: he will spend the next 3.5 years performing forced labor with a 10% deduction from his wages for the state. He is also prohibited from holding positions related to labor protection and hazardous work for 2 years and 6 months, Interfax reports.

It should be noted that Lebedev was charged under Part 2 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code (violation of labor protection requirements, resulting in the death of a person through negligence) and Part 3 of Article 216 of the Criminal Code (violation of safety regulations during construction or other work, resulting in the death of more than two persons through negligence).

The state prosecution requested that Lebedev be sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment in a penal colony. The Volgograd Prosecutor's Office, having reviewed the verdict, announced its intention to appeal it to a higher court as overly lenient, according to V1.ru.

The investigation noted that a shop foreman was poisoned by the formation of a toxic gas-air mixture in the station premises during an inspection and died at the scene. The following day, the accused, recognizing the danger, instructed workers, who, moreover, lacked the necessary qualifications and authorization, to install ventilation equipment. During this work, an explosion occurred, killing five people. The damage from the destruction of the facility exceeded 27 million rubles.

It is worth noting that in February 2025, Dmitry Lebedev resumed his position as chief engineer of Water Supply Concessions. "The court-imposed house arrest for D.N. Lebedev expired." The next preventive measure is a travel ban. The employer has not received any other decisions prohibiting any actions or suspending him from his position as part of the criminal investigation," Bloknot-Volgograd quoted the company's official response at the time.

However, on June 20, 2025, Lebedev resigned voluntarily.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420450