Lawyer says police officer in Kubrinsk factory fire case released from custody

Police officer Andrei Kurbatov has been released under a travel restriction after being detained in connection with the fatal fireworks factory fire in Kubrinsk, Yaroslavl region, lawyer Sergei Fyodorov told RIA Novosti on October 16.

Yaroslavl's Kirovsky District Court had ordered Kurbatov held until December 4. He has been charged under Part 3 of Article 285 of Russia's Criminal Code with abuse of official powers, Fyodorov said.

According to the lawyer, the charge concerns a 2023 inspection after a firecracker exploded while waste was being burned at the factory. Investigators allege that Kurbatov identified a licensing violation but failed to act.

Fyodorov said the licence belonged to Salyut Yug, a company registered in Stavropol Territory whose branch operates the Kubrinsk factory. According to the lawyer, the factory's address was missing from that licence.

The factory fire occurred in late September, killing 14 people and injuring one woman. Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said the blast and debris damaged roofs and windows in 22 apartment buildings.

The company's general director, Alexei Pronin, remains in custody. He faces charges of industrial safety violations resulting in employees' deaths and unlawful manufacture of explosives.