Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced the arrest of two high-ranking doctors at a Siberian hospital, following the deaths of nine newborns at the facility earlier this month. The doctors were charged with negligence and causing death through negligence.
The arrests of Vitaly Kheraskov, the chief physician, and Alexei Emily, the acting head of intensive care, occurred on January 14, 2026. The infants passed away between January 4 and January 12, 2026, during Russia’s New Year holiday, at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No. 1. The hospital is located in Novokuznetsk, Siberia, a city in the Kuzbass region with a population of around 500,000.
From December 1 to January 12, a total of 234 children were delivered at the hospital. Among these, 17 infants were critically ill in the intensive care unit, with 16 of them being premature. These newborns had a severe intrauterine infection and were born with extremely low birth weight, in addition to suffering from various diseases.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for the State Investigative Committee, provided details on the charges against the apprehended doctors. She confirmed a forensic investigation into each death is in progress to establish the precise circumstances that led to the fatalities.
The incident has revealed significant shortcomings at the hospital. The Argumenty i Fakty newspaper reported that the hospital was issued five warnings by health authorities between August and November of the previous year. Inspections unveiled a lack of necessary medication for certain conditions, raising doubts about the hospital’s capability to manage high-risk deliveries and critically ill newborns.
Due to an increase in respiratory infections, the hospital ceased accepting patients on Tuesday, January 13. The hospital was reportedly understaffed, a claim it denied. Meanwhile, the other maternity hospital in Novokuznetsk remains operational to cater to the region’s expecting mothers.
This incident has underscored the ongoing issues of staff shortages and funding gaps in Russia’s healthcare system.
Valentina Matvienko, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, referred to the incident as a tragedy, stating, “It must never be repeated.” Her comment reflects the shock and outrage that the deaths have caused among Russian officials and the public.
Following the fatalities, the governor of the Kuzbass region ordered a review of all regional maternity hospitals. This move aims to prevent similar incidents and identify systemic issues before they result in more deaths.
Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Yana Lantratova highlighted the wider implications of the incident, stating, “In times of a demographic crisis, allowing several infants to die in one maternity hospital in such a short period is a crime against the country.”
Russian doctor Pavel Vorobyov questioned why no action was taken following the first death. He suggested that early intervention could have potentially averted the subsequent fatalities.
The arrests of the chief physician and the head of intensive care indicate that authorities view these deaths as possibly preventable, rather than inevitable medical outcomes. In medical cases involving negligence charges, prosecutors typically have to prove that healthcare providers did not adhere to accepted standards of care and that their failure directly led to patient harm or death.
As the forensic investigation continues, the families of the deceased infants are anxiously awaiting answers about what went wrong and whether their children’s deaths were preventable.