Support The Moscow Times!

Criminal Case Opened Against St. Petersburg Children's Camp Director

Investigators have opened a criminal case against Dmitry Marchenko, a children's camp director in St. Petersburg, the local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said in statement Tuesday.

The director of the Severnaya Zorka Plus children's camp is suspected of providing services that do not meet safety requirements.

According to the statement, the investigation has been opened following checks by consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and the Emergency Situations Ministry revealed violations of sanitary standards and fire safety rules in the camp in June.

Inspections of children's camps in Russia began in earnest after 14 children died in a boating accident at the Samozero summer camp in Russia's northern republic of Karelia on June 18.  

A group of 47 children and four instructors were on a rafting trip on the lake when a storm overturned their boats.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more