Mothers of Sochi kindergarten pupils face charges after requesting investigation into incident

After an incident in a Sochi kindergarten, parents of the children accused the kindergarten’s administration of concealing facts of child abuse and failing to act in response to complaints. At the same time, the prosecutor’s office drew up administrative protocols against the parents themselves, accusing them of insulting the kindergarten principal and her daughter.

On May 13, Elena Baranetskaya, the mother of the child who suffered from the kindergarten teacher’s actions, received a response from the prosecutor’s office of the Adler District of Sochi. The official document states that “in connection with the complaints received, an internal investigation was launched on March 6,” but it could not be completed, since the kindergarten teacher resigned of her own accord on March 10. The investigation into the facts of child abuse is ongoing in the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), the prosecutor’s office reports.

It also turned out that on April 17, an administrative protocol was drawn up against Elena Baranetskaya herself under Article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (an insult). The reason was a statement voiced by Elena Baranetskaya with regard to a daughter of the kindergarten principal, who was also listed as a teacher on the kindergarten website. At the same time, according to the parents’ version, “no one has seen the woman working in the kindergarten as teacher.”

“Yes, my words were emotional, but I said that with the feeling of complete helplessness. And now, who should judge me for that?”

On April 28, a similar administrative protocol was drawn up against Irina Yatsko, the mother of another kindergarten pupil. The reason was the woman’s post in the parent chat addressed to the kindergarten principal herself. According to the parents’ version, the insults were an emotional reaction to the complaints being ignored. “I couldn’t keep silence ... I simply compared the kindergarten principal to [an amphibian]. Yes, it was emotional, but I felt my complete helplessness. And now, should they judge me for that?” Irina Yatsko commented on the situation to a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

In her turn, Elena Baranetskaya told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent: “The mother and her daughter have effectively taken over the kindergarten, and now they are harassing us for protecting our children from torture.”

Parents complain about poor treatment of their children

The parents of the kindergarten pupils told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that their children do not want to go to the kindergarten. “My son said that the teacher threatened him ... When I asked the teacher, she laughed and answered that they were crawling in their pants, and they need to be disciplined,” Yekaterina said. The woman claimed that her child was also subjected to mocking.

“Later we found out: they beat those children who could not speak”

Anna Lapina claimed that after going to kindergarten, her daughter started having hysterics. “My child still spoke poorly, and she only repeated: ‘She beat, she beat.’ My daughter started to suffer from incontinence, and the teacher claimed that it was because the child was stressed by the other children. Then we found out: they beat those children who could not speak,” Anna Lapina reported.

The kindergarten teacher forcibly sat Natalia’s three-year-old daughter on an adult toilet. “She was yelling at her, and the child fell halfway into the toilet. My daughter then refused to go to the toilet,” the woman explained.

Elena Baranetskaya said that her husband found their son lying on the floor and holding his ear. The kindergarten teacher apologized to the parent, saying that she “accidentally hit the child with the ring.” However, according to the Elena Baranetskaya’s version, the bruise her son got was too serious for accidental contact.

According to the parents’ report, the kindergarten administration closed parent chats, and any attempts to discuss the incident were deleted. The parents’ request to install CCTV cameras in the kindergarten was rejected under the pretext of high cost and disagreement of some parents.

Natalia Lazarenko, the principal of the kindergarten, refused to comment on the situation to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent, saying: “Please send all your questions with official request,” and the now former kindergarten teacher hung up after a request for comment.

Olga Medvedeva, the head of the Sochi city education department, confirmed to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent that the kindergarten teacher left the kindergarten “at her own request,” refusing to comment verbally.

“No punishment. She walks around the area as if nothing happened.”

According to the parents’ version, it was the dismissal “at her own request” and the lack of legal responsibility for the actions of the kindergarten teacher that outraged the parents. “No punishment. She walks around the area as if nothing happened. We are afraid that she will be hired again in another kindergarten,” stated Anna Lapina.

“The situation in the kindergarten [...] is an alarming example of the violation of the children’s rights, the indifference of officials, and the intimidation of the parents seeking protection for their children. Instead of investigating the incidents, the emphasis is shifted to emotional statements in parent chats, but not to the facts of possible violence against our children. We are ready to admit our emotional statements and pay a fine for our helplessness in attempts to protect our children from torture. But who will be brought to responsibility for the crime against our children and for the concealment of offenders?” asks Elena Baranetskaya.

Lawyers see signs of criminal offense in kindergarten teacher’s actions

Three lawyers independent of this case reviewed the video recording and came to the conclusion that the kindergarten teacher’s actions contained signs of a crime under Article 156 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (failure to fulfil duties to raise a minor, combined with cruel treatment). The lawyers also noted that the dismissal of the kindergarten employee was lawful, since she committed a gross violation of her professional duties and was not up to the job.

In this case, we see active actions that go beyond permissible methods of education

“Cruel treatment of a child, especially if it comes from a person obliged to raise the minor, is a criminal offense. The law directly prohibits such actions, and the occurrence of severe consequences is not required. The crime can be expressed both in actions and inaction, if they are cruel. In this case, we see active actions that go beyond the permissible methods of education. Moreover, according to the available information, a child was deprived of food, which is unacceptable in itself, and two children were actually affected by cruel actions. This is a direct violation of Article 156 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation,” explained lawyer Anna Polovinskaya when commenting on the incident.

“Cruel treatment of a child while performing official duties of an educator directly falls under Article 156 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. We are not just talking about a pedagogical mistake, but about the actions incompatible with educational activities. Taking into account the video recording and the nature of the kindergarten employees’ behaviour, the signs of a crime are obvious,” lawyer Natalia Fedorenko believes.

“The presence of video recording and the testimonies of witnesses, especially the children’s parents, confirming the fact of cruel treatment, are important evidence. These materials can form the basis for institution of a criminal case. It is also worth considering the fact that the regular nature of such actions may indicate the presence of a stable illegal practice within the educational institution,” lawyer Roman Klykov emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 2, 2025 at 04:20 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.