Putin Aware Of St. Petersburg University Graduate's Murder By History Professor - Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the murder of a St. Petersburg State University graduate student that was allegedly committed by prominent history professor Oleg Sokolov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the murder of a St. Petersburg State University graduate student that was allegedly committed by prominent history professor Oleg Sokolov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Sokolov, 64, a leading Russian expert in the Napoleonic Wars who was also awarded France's Legion of Honor for his work, was found in the early hours of Saturday in a river in St. Petersburg and arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman's severed limbs were found in his backpack. Police then found the decapitated body of his lover and former student, 24-year-old Anastasia Yeshenko, in his apartment.

According to the investigation, Sokolov shot Yeshenko on November 7 and tried to dispose of her body.

"Certainly," Peskov said, when asked whether Putin was familiar with the incident.

Peskov called the murder an "act of madness," adding that a court would assess the case and bring the murderer to justice.

According to a lawyer, Sokolov admitted to the charges and was stripped of his position in the university. The court on Monday will decide on the measure of restraint for the suspect.