Mother of Fallen Soldier Describes Attack and Threats in Russia

My name is Vera Aleksandrovna. I live at 43 Kalinina Street.

On the evening of October 26, I went out to walk the dogs.

I have two little dogs. I live in the fourth entrance— by the third entrance, a man attacked me, saying: “Why are you following me?”

He was drunk. It was dark. He had some kind of bag there, there was something in it, I think a bottle in a bag.

And then, you know, he just started in with words like these, without giving me a chance to react, he said: “I’m going to kill you now, I’ll kill you right now, you wretched creature,” and all the rest, “and then I’ll go to the Special Military Operation.”

And when he hit me with the bag containing the bottle, I started bleeding from an artery.

And I—my jacket was just covered in blood, my face, my hands, I couldn’t— What saved me was that he didn’t crack my skull.

The fact that I had something on my head A warm wool hat.

He swore every way he could, putting me through everything he could, laughing.

I say, “Listen, I have a son, I say, he was just buried.

Did my son really die for this, so you can mock me here now, his mother, and kill me?”

He says, “I’ll kill you right now, and nothing will happen to me.”

How can that be? “I’ll go fight in the war.”

Our guys are fighting in the special military operation, including my son, who died in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

He was buried with military honors at the military cemetery in the city of Asbest with full military honors.

I live with my daughter. I don’t have a husband either.

We just, you know, went through all of this, through our family.

It’s such pain to bury your son. And he stands there, right to my face, saying to me, the mother of a son killed in the special military operation: “I’ll kill you right now, and nothing will happen to me.”

So what is this? How can this happen here in Russia?

I wouldn't be talking to you right now. Yes, you see, I even have a bruise on my cheek, a bruise, and my whole head is stitched up.

So he could have cracked my skull, gone off to fight in the special military operation, and nothing would have happened to him.

So you can just go around killing people, is that how it works?

This possibility makes no sense to me at all.

People like these need to be stopped and punished.

This can't be allowed to continue. We live in Russia. Russia has always been known for its traditions, its kindness and humanity.

This is just a monstrous way to treat people.

But what happened to me, I still—I'm still in shock over it.

“I'll go fight in the special military operation, and nothing will happen to me.

I'll kill you, I'll kill you right now.”

He threatened to kill me, laughing, swearing and cursing.

And I think this is unacceptable.