Love is… marrying the one who nearly kills you with an axe.
That appeared to be the guiding principle for the victim of one such attack when he proposed to his assailant during her trial in Siberia.
“During the trial, the man proposed to the defendant and they got married,” the Tomsk region’s prosecutor general’s office said in a press release Thursday.
“As a spouse, he asked the court not to imprison” the defendant, the office added without identifying the pair by name.
The prosecutor’s office went into detail about the incident in question, which it said took place “during consumption of alcohol with friends” back in 2019.
The now-67-year-old defendant “constantly argued” with her then-38-year-old boyfriend “because of his unwillingness to keep their apartment clean and orderly.”
“She came up behind the man who was busy watching TV and struck him with an axe multiple times in the head, ribs and neck,” the statement said.
The unidentified boyfriend “tried to convince the medics and police who answered the call that he had injured himself from an accidental fall,” the prosecutor’s office said.
The Tomsk regional district court found the woman guilty of grievous bodily harm but — likely due to the couple’s impromptu marriage — handed her a three-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation. Russia’s Criminal Code envisions a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for the crime.
The prosecutor’s office noted that the sentence has not yet entered into force and the couple can still presumably file an appeal.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
