Russia opens negligence probe after nine babies die in same Siberian hospital

An investigator inspects a delivery room in a maternity hospital where nine newborn babies died this month, in Novokuzhetsk, Russia, in this still image taken from a video released on January 13, 2026. Russian Investigative Committee/Handout via REUTERS

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Russia has opened ‌a criminal investigation into the deaths of nine newborn babies this month due to suspected negligence at ‌a Siberian maternity hospital, authorities said on Tuesday.

The state Investigative Committee said staff were being questioned, ‌medical records had been seized and forensic tests were under way to determine the cause of the deaths at Hospital No. 1 in Novokuznetsk, a city of half a million people.