Press Release, 5.04.2024

Photo: Fire after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall on 22 March, 2024 / Photo by Yevgeny Razumny, Kommersant

The head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma, Maxim Kruglov, sent a parliamentary request to the Minister of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov, calling on the official to give a public assessment of the causes of a large number of victims due to fire in Crocus City Hall after the terrorist attack.

Deputy Kruglov also asks the minister to organise a systematic inspection of all buildings and structures that involve large simultaneous presence of people – from shopping centers to concert halls – for their compliance with fire safety requirements.

The appeal by the head of the Yabloko faction contains a number of questions to the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the tragedy in the Crocus City Hall:

– Were the necessary requirements for building structures, engineering equipment, and building materials been met?

– Were there enough emergency exits designed and were they operational on the day of the tragedy? How often did the government oversight bodies inspect them?

– How was the construction project’s compliance with the mandatory requirements of technical regulations on fire safety and the safety of buildings and structures checked during the design stage?

– How did the stage of examination and approval of this project proceed, what comments did the state supervisory authorities make as this regard? Were these comments taken into account?

“Russian society asked these questions after [the fires in] the Khromaya Loshad club and Zimnyaya Vishnya mall [that burnt down completely in no time and involved many victims], and these questions arose again in March 2024. Unfortunately, society does not see the systematic work of the authorised bodies in ensuring safety and security,” Maxim Kruglov writes in conclusion.

MAXIM KRUGLOV

is a Deputy Chairman of Yabloko,

a member of the Federal Bureau of the Party,

Deputy Chairman of the Moscow branch of Yabloko,

head of the Yabloko faction in the Moscow City Duma,

Candidate of Political Sciences.