A representative of the victims requested the arrest of Ivan Gel.

Ivan Gel, the head of the Ilovlinsky District, failed to appear at the first court hearing in the retrial of the case involving the death of a subordinate in a steppe fire. A representative of the victims petitioned to change the official's pretrial detention. Witnesses confirmed that the deceased administration employee opposed the use of untrained people to fight the fire.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Ivan Gel, the head of the Ilovlinsky District, has been charged with abuse of office resulting in grave consequences (Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to investigators, he sent unauthorized administration employees to extinguish the fire, resulting in the death of 52-year-old Alexander Pereyarin from burns and the injury of three of his colleagues. On August 7, the court ordered the case returned to the prosecutor's office. In October, the Volgograd Regional Court upheld the appeals of the prosecutor's office and victims against the Ilovlinsky District Court's decision to send the case of Ivan Gel, head of the same district, back to the prosecutor's office. The case of abuse of power due to the death of Gel's subordinate in a steppe fire was returned to the trial court.

At the November 27 hearing, Yuri Bukayev, a representative of the injured party, filed a motion to tighten the pretrial restraint for Ivan Gel, the head of the Ilovlinsky District. He asked the court to change the pretrial restraint for the head of the district from a written undertaking not to leave the city to pretrial detention. The representative of the injured party, in particular, believes that the defendant showed contempt of court by failing to appear at the October 31 hearing. Ivan Gel's lawyer, Mikhail Rasstrygin, then informed the court that his client was in Volgograd Hospital No. 25. However, he was unable to provide any information about his health. The judge sent the corresponding request to the medical facility, according to the publication "Vysota 102."

According to the medical facility's response, Ivan Gel was hospitalized in Volgograd from October 27 to 31, after which he was discharged for outpatient treatment. However, the document did not mention any contraindications that could prevent the district head from participating in the court hearing. The representative for the injured party also believes that the defendant intentionally disrupted the hearing. It is also noted that the district head has previously committed similar actions against Ivan Gel, who is under travel restrictions. For example, in April 2025, he attended the All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Homeland – the Strength of Russia" in Moscow and even posted a photo report of the event in which he participated. Last October, Ivan Gel failed to appear in the regional court where the victims' petition to change the jurisdiction of the criminal case was being heard, instead participating in another event in Volgograd.

The prosecution took a break to present the prosecutor's position. Ivan Gel's lawyer decided to speak after the prosecutor had expressed his opinion at the next hearing, according to the publication.

The questioning of witnesses continued at the court hearing. Eight people were summoned to court, three of whom appeared. Two of the witnesses, who are fire service employees, confirmed to the court that Alexander Pereyarin opposed the participation of administration employees in extinguishing the fires. In particular, he tried to convince Ivan Gel that trained people should be involved, whose work should be insured.

This testimony confirmed the position of the victims, who are convinced that the death of Alexander Pereyarin was the result of illegal actions by the head of the district, who forced his subordinates to do something other than their job, namely, extinguish fires.

Healings in Gel's case are expected to be held weekly until the end of the year, Volgograd News reported on October 31.

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