Criminal Code of Russia
On 7 December, four of the detained suspects were formally charged. Anatoly Zak, executive director Svetlana Yefremova, and caretaker art director Oleg Fetkulov were charged with violations of fire safety rules leading to the deaths of 2 or more people (Article 219, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Russia, carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years). The latter suspect also lost his wife Yevgeniya Fetkulova on December 13 who was present at the club and suffered from multiple burns and smoke inhalation she received during fire. Investigators allowed Oleg Fetkulov to see his deceased wife for the last time at the local morgue before her funeral. Sergei Derbenyov, director of the pyrotechnics company Pirotsvet (Russian: ООО Пиротехническая компания 'Пироцвет') that supplied the incendiaries, was charged with negligent manslaughter of 2 or more people (Article 109, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Russia, carrying a maximum sentence of 5 years). The fifth suspect, Alexandr Titlyanov, a leaseholder of the premises who also owned 85% of the issued shares of the club, was heavily injured in the fire. Later he was transported to a Moscow clinic with burns over 80% of his body and died on December 9, 2009 in a Moscow clinic before any charges were brought against him.