A 17-year-old schoolgirl was raped, beaten unconscious and left to die in a pigsty where she was mauled by the animals in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region.
Revenge attack turns deadly
Igor Zykov, 42, a farm worker previously convicted of murder, carried out the assault on Milena Shevelyova after a long-standing grudge against her father, his employer Zhukov.
Zykov had entered the barn intending to harm the livestock but found Milena feeding the pigs.
In a vodka-fuelled rage, he beat her severely, subjected her to violent sexual assault and left her bleeding on the floor.
The pigs reacted to the blood and attacked her, with a sow tearing her femoral artery.
Milena died from massive blood loss.
Evidence destruction and denial
Zykov stole her mobile phone, smashed it with an axe and burned it along with the weapon used in the attack to destroy evidence.
He denied the sexual assault, but forensic evidence confirmed it.
The court heard Zykov had previously killed his own brother but was given a second chance and employment by Milena’s father after serving his sentence.
Earlier that day, he had fought with her father and planned to set the pigpen on fire.
Family and community reaction
Milena’s parents were away shopping when the incident occurred.
Her boyfriend, Vladimir Bedny, 18, went to check on her after she stopped answering calls and discovered the scene.
He called an ambulance, but she was pronounced dead on arrival.
A neighbour, Vera, described Milena as a kind and helpful girl who always supported her parents.
Milena’s boyfriend later posted online: “You will forever remain in my heart.”
Zykov was sentenced to 23 years in a strict regime penal colony after confessing to the crimes of murder, violent sexual acts and theft.
