Russian National Guard Officer Sets Fire to Trash Alongside Mi-8 Helicopter

A year ago, at an airfield in Novocherkassk, a serviceman of the National Guard of Russia accidentally set fire to a Mi-8 helicopter along with its equipment.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on this.

According to the investigation, despite a direct order from his superiors and the high fire risk, the officer instructed his subordinate to burn trash in a specially dug pit.

Due to negligence, the fire spread to dry grass and then to the aircraft parking area.

As a result of the fire, the helicopter was destroyed, along with stored fuel, rescue and parachute equipment, as well as pyrotechnic materials.

The damage to the 685th Separate Special Purpose Mixed Aviation Regiment of the National Guard of Russia was estimated at RUB 574,229,709.

On September 12th, the Southern District Military Court reviewed the appeal of the sentence for Officer Nikolai Novosolov, previously issued by the Novocherkassk Garrison Court.

Initially, the military investigation charged Novosolov with abuse of office (Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code). However, the court reclassified the case to negligence (Article 293 of the Russian Criminal Code), which resulted in particularly large material damage.
The officer fully admitted his guilt, after which the court imposed a fine of RUB 350,000 and banned him from holding managerial positions for one year.

The civil lawsuit filed by the military unit for full compensation of the damages was partially upheld – Novosolov was ordered to pay RUB 5 million.

The representatives of the aviation regiment appealed the decision, demanding full compensation for the damages, but the appellate court upheld the verdict.

The judges emphasized that with a monthly income of RUB 37,200, the officer would physically be unable to compensate for the full cost of the destroyed helicopter.