A case of negligence was opened against Voronezh officials due to the demolition of a 19th-century mill by the company of a regional Duma deputy

The Office of the Investigative Committee for the Voronezh Region opened a case of negligence due to the demolition of the complex of buildings of bakery No. 1, built on the basis of a steam mill of the late 19th century. This is reported on the department's website.

The case was opened against unidentified employees of the department for the protection of cultural heritage sites of the Voronezh region, who “untimely” included the buildings in the list of cultural heritage sites.

The demolition of the bakery on Friedrich Engels Street in the center of Voronezh has been carried out since November 20 by the construction company “Vybor”, owned by regional Duma deputy Alexander Tsyban. The plot was sold after a fire in the bakery workshop in June 2020.

At the end of October, the department, after an appeal from local historians, included the complex of buildings in the list of objects with signs of cultural heritage that are not subject to the demolition ban. The inclusion of the bakery in the list of cultural heritage sites was announced on December 7, a few days after the demolition was completed .

After the start of work, the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites opened an administrative case against the developer (Part 1 of Article 7.13 of the Administrative Code), but demolition continued. Governor Alexander Gusev said that officials “had to react and try to at least come to an agreement with the owner.”

In mid-December, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began an investigation into the demolition under the article on the destruction of a cultural heritage site (Part 1 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code).