Survivor of 67-Day Sea Ordeal Sentenced: Tragedy in the Sea of Okhotsk Ends in Court

A court in Ulan-Ude has determined the fate of Mikhail Pichugin, a native of Buryatia who survived a 67-day drift in the Sea of Okhotsk after losing two relatives — his older brother Sergey and his 15-year-old nephew Ilya. A criminal case was opened against him under an article concerning violations of maritime safety and vessel operation rules, which resulted in the deaths of two people due to negligence. He had gone to sea on a catamaran with a faulty engine. He was also accused of using a knowingly forged document. As a result, the Russian man was sentenced to three years of forced labor and fined 40,000 rubles. It is noted that during the investigation, the convicted man partially admitted his guilt.