Vladimir Gridin, the former co-owner of the Listvyazhnoy mine, has been placed on the international wanted list after an explosion there killed 51 people.
The billionaire was charged in absentia with abuse of office resulting in grave consequences. Gridin faces up to 10 years in prison, TASS reports, citing a law enforcement source.
Explosion at the Listvyazhnaya mine in In the Belovsky district of the Kemerovo region there was On November 25, 2021, it became one of the worst disasters in the Russian coal industry in decades. Fifty-one people died, including 46 miners and five mine rescuers who suffocated during search operations due to high concentrations of carbon monoxide. More than 100 others were injured and poisoned by combustion products.
The investigation established that the tragedy was caused by persistent violations, falsifications, and disregard for safety regulations. Six months before the explosion, sensors recorded elevated methane levels at Listvyazhnaya, but coal mining continued.
According to the investigation, in an attempt to escape punishment, Gridin almost immediately left for Monaco. However, his exact whereabouts remain unknown. The international search warrant obliges any country to extradite Gridin to Russia if it has an extradition treaty.
Adimir Gridin was a State Duma deputy from 2007 to 2015. According to Forbes, he ranked 89th among all Russian businessmen, with a net worth of $750 million.
In 2019, Gridin owned 66% of the company, which includes Listvyazhnaya, and subsequently, about 5%. The rest went to his partner, Mikhail Fedyaev. The latter was convicted and sentenced to prison, but never served time.
It should be noted that mining resumed at the site of the tragedy in July 2023. Mine employees stated that the new equipment had received all the necessary positive assessments. However, Listvyazhnaya continues to be caught violating industrial safety regulations. Over the past two years, at least nine shutdowns have been reported, including due to explosion threats.
Photo: Maxim Serkov / NGS42.RU
