The mother of the deceased teenager testified at the trial against Mikhail Pichugin.
In Ulan-Ude, at the next court hearing against Mikhail Pichugin, survivor After two months adrift in the Sea of Okhotsk, Natalya Pichugina, the mother of the deceased Ilya, spoke out. She believes her son's surviving uncle should be held accountable for the teenager's death.
There are two victims in the case: Natalya Pichugina and Nadezhda Pichugina, the mother of the surviving Mikhail and his deceased brother. words Nadezhda is now afraid of losing her second son. She believes the tragedy was a coincidence, and Mikhail Pichugin has been through a lot himself. She asked for a suspended sentence.
Natalya believes her uncle is to blame for her son's death. She said Ilya left with friends by car for Khabarovsk Krai, despite her objections. She didn't know he would be sailing across the sea on a boat.
"If he can be punished by law for the murder of a child, he should be. He is guilty. The child is no longer alive. They took the child on the boat," said she is.
She doesn't speak about the guilt of her deceased husband, but adds that rescuers "didn't properly search" for those missing on the boat, and she only received formal replies from border guards.
A family friend who was with the Pichugins on the Shantar Islands testified in court сказалIt appears that the border service was aware of the Pichugins' plans—the travelers met border guards on land, who wished the Pichugins a safe journey to Sakhalin. According to a family friend, the boat's motor was in good working order, and the boat itself had all the necessary safety equipment.
The prosecutor's office accuses Mikhail Pichugin of violating vessel operating regulations, resulting in the death of a person (Part 3 of Article 264 of the Russian Criminal Code) and using forged documents (Part 5 of Article 327 of the Russian Criminal Code). He faces up to seven years in prison. He is partially recognized guilt.
Photo: Magadan Oblast Government
