‘We haven’t been informed about the possible closing down of Mega Trade Center in Yekaterinburg,’ Nadezhda Kiseleva, the spokesperson for M.Video, the consumer electronics retail chain, said to UrBC representative.

‘We do know that Mega conducted all the examinations of compliance with the fire safety requirements; we are also aware of the fact that not all of the requirements were actually met. Yet Mega is a large international company that has a lot of market experience, so we hope it will be able to work things out in the nearest future,’ Ms Kiseleva said.

The State Fire Surveillance Administration in Sverdlovsk Region inspected the premises of the trade center that hosts IKEA and Auchan and revealed some grave violations of fire safety requirements.

According to the Department of Emergencies, the report on the administrative offense has been placed with the court. The head of Mega Trade Center now risks being fined or ordered to stop operating (fully or partially).