Aeroboat Operator Charged Under Part 4 in Leningrad Canal Crash, Faces 8–15 Years

Overview

• The Western Interregional Transport Investigative Directorate charged the 38-year-old with violating Article 263 Part 4 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which covers offenses committed in a state of intoxication and carries an eight- to 15-year sentence.
• Investigators have petitioned the court to place the accused in pretrial detention.
• The aeroboat allegedly struck a floating bridge near Novaya Ladoga on Jan. 2, capsized, and three passengers died at the scene.
• The victims were identified as a 40-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman from Rostov-on-Don, and a 42-year-old resident of the Leningrad Region.
• According to investigators, the operator bought the craft in summer 2025 and did not have a small-vessel license, and forensic examinations have been ordered as the probe continues.