Administrative tragedy

A businessman offended by the authorities killed the mayor of Kirovsk, his deputy and shot himself

In the city of Kirovsk, Murmansk region, the mayor of this city, Ilya Kelmanzon, and his deputy for housing and communal services, Sergei Maksimov, were shot dead yesterday morning. The tragedy took place right in the mayor's office in the administration building almost immediately after the press briefing. When the event ended, a well-known businessman in the city, Ivan Ankushev, who had recently been in conflict with the authorities due to problems with renting premises for his stores, came to see the mayor. According to the preliminary version, he once again tried to sort things out with officials, and then opened fire with a pistol. Having killed the mayor and his deputy, the businessman then shot himself.

Shots rang out in Ilya Kelmanzon's office at about 10.30 am, immediately after the end of the weekly press briefing held there. After it ended, when all the invitees had left, the owner of a bookstore and several grocery stores, 62-year-old Mr. Ankushev, came to see the mayor, where Mr. Maksimov was also staying. He arrived at the mayor's office a little earlier and waited in the reception room for Mr. Kelmanzon. No one saw what actually happened in the office. The mayor's secretary soon only heard several shots, after which Mr. Kelmanzon came out of the door, holding his bloody chest. They laid him on the sofa, trying to provide first aid. Almost immediately after the mayor, Ivan Ankushev himself ran out of his office, also bloodied, and went into the next office, where he was soon found dead.

According to preliminary data, the businessman tried to resolve with officials the issue of extending lease agreements for the premises occupied by his retail outlets. Apparently, he could not find understanding, after which he took out a weapon. He shot 56-year-old Sergei Maksimov in the head, and 44-year-old Ilya Kelmanzon in the chest. The director of housing and communal services died immediately, and the mayor of the city died a few minutes later. Apparently, realizing what he had done, Ivan Ankushev decided to commit suicide by first shooting himself in the chest. However, the wound, according to preliminary data, turned out to be not fatal - after this, investigators believe, the businessman ran out of the mayor’s office and then shot himself again in the head. According to a representative of the Murmansk Investigative Committee, the killer most likely did not plan the murder and acted in a state of passion. Although the very fact that he came to the officials with a pistol obviously did not indicate the most friendly intentions. Investigators do not rule out that initially he only wanted to scare officials.

Ivan Ankushev was a fairly famous person in Kirovsk. While doing business, he did not hesitate to criticize the activities of local and regional officials on a variety of issues and even wrote harsh notes to the regional newspaper Murmansky Vestnik. In particular, he has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the high rent for premises and the ever-increasing tariffs for utilities. In 2006, he was one of the founders of a meeting of local entrepreneurs and, defending the interests of small businesses, was in constant contact with city officials.

Mr. Ankushev himself has sued the authorities more than once over non-payment of taxes, lack of cash registers, and issues of renting premises, and each time justice was not on his side. Presumably, the entrepreneur had debts to utility companies for light and heat, and largely because of this, city authorities did not want to renew contracts with an unscrupulous tenant. According to some reports, last year, by a court decision, the lease agreement for one of Mr. Ankushev’s stores was already terminated, and several more similar claims are now under consideration.

Investigators do not exclude the possibility that Ilya Kelmanzon, who held the position of mayor for a little less than two years, could have died by accident - it is quite possible that the killer made the main claims against Sergei Maksimov, and the mayor simply fell under the hot hand. According to some reports, in recent years Ivan Ankushev suffered from diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. People who know him note his heightened sense of justice, but also talk about excessive emotionality, instability and even aggressiveness in recent years. At the same time, according to investigative authorities, the killer was not registered with psychiatrists.

It was not at all difficult for Ivan Ankushev to enter the office of the mayor of the city with a weapon - the entrance to the Kirovsk City Hall building is not equipped with a metal detector, and the security knew the killer well by sight, so they did not suspect anything was wrong. Based on the incident, the regional Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under two articles - “murder of two or more persons” and “illegal acquisition and storage of weapons.” Most likely, due to the death of the accused, it will soon be closed. Yesterday, employees of the central office of the Investigative Committee flew to Kirovsk to assist local investigators. Saturday, March 28, the day of the funeral of Ilya Kelmanzon and Sergei Maksimov, was declared a day of mourning in Kirovsk.

Anatoly KARAVAEV