Russian veteran of war in Ukraine kills ex-wife in Chelyabinsk

A Russian veteran of the war in Ukraine from the city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals has been charged with murdering his ex-wife, local news website 74.ru reported on Monday.

Nikita Sidorov, 32, killed his ex-wife, whose name has not been made public, while their three-year-old son was in the apartment and while police banged on the door.

Sidorov returned home drunk on the evening of 25 February, 74.ru wrote, and when his ex-wife refused to let him into the apartment he entered via the balcony. She called the police, who arrived 40 minutes later and began knocking on the door. Neighbours said that they had heard screams throughout the incident. By the time police gained access to the apartment, the victim was already dead.

They said Sidorov had moved in with his then wife before the war and she became pregnant. When she subsequently left him, he enlisted to fight in Ukraine. They moved back in together when he returned home but broke up again in February. It is unclear why the victim was at Sidorov’s apartment on 25 February.

Sidorov has been charged with murder and sent to a pretrial detention centre for two months.

The local Interior Ministry announced that it would investigate the conduct of the officers who responded to the call.