Lawyer says police officer detained over Kubrinsk fireworks factory fire

A court remanded local police officer Andrey Kurbatov in custody in the case concerning a fireworks factory fire in Kubrinsk, Yaroslavl Region, lawyer Sergey Fedorov told TASS. The officer is charged with abuse of office and denies guilt.

Fedorov said an initial negligence charge had been reclassified as abuse of office. He also reported a negligence case involving an unspecified group of officials.

Authorities inspected the business after a complaint to the Prosecutor General's Office about a firecracker exploding during rubbish burning. Kurbatov handled the police inspection and declined to open an administrative case because he found no signs of a violation, the lawyer said.

Fedorov said the company held licences but listed Stavropol Territory as its place of operation. He said the address discrepancy prompted questions from the Investigative Committee. The defence disputes a causal link between the officer's conduct and the fire.

The September 28 fire killed 14 people and injured one woman, engulfing two production buildings. The Investigative Committee opened a case over industrial safety violations resulting in multiple deaths. The company's director had previously been detained.