The fine for the Rostov farmer for a fire caused by a UAV attack has become a dangerous precedent.
The fine imposed on a Rostov farmer for a fire caused by a fallen UAV outraged his colleagues. Farmers in southern Russia are already facing problems with grain sales and high production costs, and shifting the blame for the consequences of military actions onto them is absurd, noted farmers and agricultural producers.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in the Rostov region, a 64-year-old farmer was fined 60,000 rubles for the untimely removal of crop residues. The reason for the administrative fine was a fire in his field, which occurred after the fall of a downed Ukrainian drone.
The incident occurred during the height of the harvest campaign. The farmer had cut wheat in one of his fields and, unable to clear the stubble, was forced to urgently move to another field to save the harvest there. Soon, a downed drone fell on the unharvested area, leading to a fire in the dry grass. The material damage from the fire itself was minimal. However, a few days later, the man was summoned to the investigator. He was charged with violating fire safety rules in agriculture, specifically for the untimely removal of crop residues. The chief state inspector for fire supervision in the Tarasovsky district issued the farmer a fine of 60,000 rubles.
A member of the "People's Farmer" association Nikolai Zhigulin believes that fining a landowner for the consequences of air defense operations and drone attacks is absurd and creates a dangerous precedent for all of southern Russia.
"This case demonstrates the total formalism and detachment of officials from reality. Against the backdrop of export duties, low purchase prices for grain, rising fuel prices, and constant risks in border areas, farmers are already working on the edge of profitability. And when the situation is added where the Ministry of Emergency Situations fines a farmer for a downed Ukrainian UAV, equating stubble to 'garbage', trust in regulatory authorities is completely destroyed," said the association representative to a correspondent of the 'Caucasian Knot'.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations tries to place the blame for any spark on the landowner without investigating the causes. But when the blame is shifted for the consequences of military actions, it crosses all boundaries.
According to him, similar incidents with fines for fires in fields have occurred before.
"The Ministry of Emergency Situations tries to place the blame for any spark on the landowner without investigating the causes. But when the blame is shifted for the consequences of military actions, it crosses all boundaries," he emphasized.
A farmer from the Rostov region Denis Kosov also finds the officials' decision puzzling.
"Our agrarians in the Rostov region are currently working in extreme conditions, literally risking their lives under enemy drones to harvest grain on time and ensure the country's food security. And instead of support, they receive fines," he told a correspondent of the 'Caucasian Knot'.
He recalls that there have been such attempts before, but then the fires were not caused by drones.
"There were also attempts to blame farmers for any fire on their lands, even if third parties committed arson. But now, when agriculture is already suffocating from problems with grain sales and high production costs, such a fine is perceived by the community as outright sabotage and a stab in the back," he emphasized.
The fine imposed on a Rostov farmer for a fire caused by a fallen UAV causes deep outrage among representatives of the agricultural sector and suppliers of agricultural products, said entrepreneur Roman Kolychev, who is engaged in the cultivation and sale of seeds.
During the height of the harvest, the task of any farm is to collect the harvest as quickly and without losses as possible, moving equipment from field to field, rather than instantly plowing the stubble.
"This is absolute nonsense and a severe blow to producers. We work with agrarians all over southern Russia and see the extremely difficult conditions they are currently in. During the height of the harvest, the task of any farm is to collect the harvest as quickly and without losses as possible, moving equipment from field to field, rather than instantly plowing the stubble. Blaming a farmer for 'untimely removal' because a downed drone fell on the cut area is absurd," he said.
According to the entrepreneur, against the backdrop of falling profitability and difficulties with the sale of the harvest, such precedents demotivate people to work the land.
"Instead of real support in border areas, agricultural producers receive new levies for force majeure circumstances, from which no one is insured," he pointed out.
The decision to fine the farmer in this situation is legally unfounded due to the absence of guilt and a direct cause-and-effect relationship, emphasized lawyer Patimat Abdulaeva.
"Administrative punishment under Article 20.4 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation implies the presence of guilt, while the fall of debris from a downed drone is a direct act of force majeure, for which fire safety regulations simply did not account. The fire did not occur due to a violation of agronomic rules, but as a result of external extraordinary circumstances," she explained to a correspondent of the 'Caucasian Knot'.
The legislation of the Russian Federation does not establish strict time frames for clearing fields of crop residues.
"The Government of the Russian Federation Resolution No. 1479 'On Approval of Fire Safety Rules' strictly prohibits burning stubble and dry vegetation, but the law does not impose specific deadlines for the incorporation or plowing of crop residues after the passage of the combine. However, farmers are required to mow and plow fields with a strip width of at least four meters in places adjacent to roads and forests. For non-compliance with these measures, fines under Article 20.4 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation are provided, which in conditions of a special fire safety regime reach 60-80 thousand rubles for entrepreneurs and up to 400 thousand for legal entities. However, holding agrarians responsible for the mere fact of a fire caused by a UAV accident is a direct overreach of officials beyond the legal framework," the lawyer concluded.