Families of 11 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team players killed in a 2011 plane crash are to be paid a fraction of what their attorneys had asked for in compensation, their defense lawyers said Monday.
A Moscow court ordered insurance company Lexgarant to pay each of the families 25,000 rubles ($460) in compensation, plus 1,000 rubles for legal fees, the Trunov, Aivar and Partners law firm said in a statement.
"The court's ruling is unlawful and baseless," defense lawyer Igor Trunov said in the statement, adding that an appeal against the ruling had been filed. Lawyers had sought a total payment of around 10 million rubles ($183,000) for the 11 families.
The Meduza.io news website reported that an insurance company had previously paid out a total of 2 million rubles ($36,700) in compensation to the hockey players' families. Some of the relatives were unsatisfied with that amount and sought additional payment.
The vast majority of the 10 million rubles demanded by the Lokomotiv players' families was as compensation for luggage destroyed in the crash, the lawyers' statement said.
Substantial compensation for moral damages is a rarity in Russia, prominent lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky told the Gazeta.ru news website last year, assessing the likelihood of payouts to the Lokomotiv crash victims' family members.
On Sept. 7, 2011, a Yak-42 plane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team from its home base to Belarus, where the team was to play against Dynamo Minsk, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 43 of the 45 people onboard.
Of the 26 Lokomotiv players on the plane, 25 were killed immediately. The other player, Alexander Galimov, died of his injuries several days later in hospital. The only person to survive the accident was a member of the crew.
Aviation investigators blamed the crash on multiple pilot errors, including sedatives in a pilot's blood and inadequate training that led to a crucial instrument mix-up.
Contact the author at newsreporter@imedia.ru
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
