Support The Moscow Times!

Court Asked to Close 54 Clubs

Policemen and fire-safety inspectors conducting a check of a computer games room in Divnogorsk on Monday. Ilya Naymushin

Moscow’s fire safety watchdog asked a court to shut down 54 local nightclubs and cafes after checks showed that there had been numerous fire safety violations, Oleg Naidyonkov, head of the fire safety watchdog, said Monday.

“In the first ten days [of December] alone, we checked 450 such facilities, a decision to suspend 54 of them was made and the materials were sent to the courts,” Naidyonkov said, Interfax reported. The web site of the Prosecutor General’s Office indicated that 425 facilities had been inspected.

The Emergency Situations Ministry started fire safety checks in Moscow and St. Petersburg nightclubs and cafes after at least 146 people died in a fire at the Khromaya Loshad (Lame Horse) nightclub in Perm earlier this month.

“The results of the surprise inspections are showing their effectiveness,” the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement posted on its web site.

The checks have already resulted in closures of five Moscow facilities: Martinika was shut down for 90 days, Gloria Elite for 60 days, Up & Down and Blues-Tonn for 30 days and Dialit for 20 days.

Dialit’s owners said the closures were illegal, however.

“I think that our cafe has been closed illegally. We were not warned about the check in advance. Besides, the cafe has been under repair since July, and there have been no visitors there,” Dialit owner Yelena Shaderova told The Moscow Times.

Among the violations found at Dialit were a lack of a fire alarm, bars covering the windows and construction materials blocking walkways, Shaderova said. She added that she would file a complaint to the prosecutor’s office after the cafe resumes operation.

Under current legislation, an inspector must warn the owner three days ahead of a check, but the Emergency Situations Ministry has said unusual measures are currently called for.

“Today, when an emergency requires extreme measures, an unexpected visit by the inspector can reveal numerous violations while there is a show going on,” the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The Prosecutor General’s Office has supported the Emergency Situations Ministry’s bid to toughen the penalties for those who fail to meet the fire safety guidelines.

“The punishments are only part of the problem, but a very important component,” First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman told reporters Monday.

He also added that the punishment for violations should be “adequate and commensurate with the size of the violation.”

Among the nightclubs that have come under fire since the inspections began are popular Moscow clubs B2 and IKRA.

“We’ve fixed small violations revealed during the check. The nightclub is now working as normal,” said Svetlana Morozova, CEO at IKRA.


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