Horrifying moment Russian historian, 63, 'throws body parts of his murdered lover, 24, into river before drunkenly falling into the water while carrying two severed arms'

  • Oleg Sokolov is believed to have shot and dismembered Anastasia Yeschenko 
  • CCTV footage shows him allegedly disposing of her body parts in St Petersburg
  • He fell into the water himself and was pulled out with her arms in a backpack 

This CCTV footage shows a Russian military historian allegedly throwing his dead lover's body parts into a river after murdering her at his home.

Oleg Sokolov, 63, has admitted shooting dead his 24-year-old lover Anastasia Yeschenko before dismembering her body.

Police say Sokolov disposed of the body parts in St Petersburg's Moyka river before drunkenly falling into the water himself.

He was hauled out of the river suffering from hypothermia and carrying a backpack containing a woman's arms.

Sokolov, a leading historian at Vladimir Putin's former university who liked to dress as Napoleon, yesterday confessed to the murder which has shocked Russia.

Pale and unshaven, the prominent Napoleon expert broke down in tears in court and covered his face.

He said: 'I am devastated by what has happened, I repent.'  

Disposal? This CCTV footage shows Russian military historian Oleg Sokolov allegedly throwing his dead lover's body parts into a river in St Petersburg

Disposal? This CCTV footage shows Russian military historian Oleg Sokolov allegedly throwing his dead lover's body parts into a river in St Petersburg 

Killer: Oleg Sokolov, 63, yesterday admitted he shot dead his 24-year-old lover Anastasia Yeshchenko (pictured together) before dismembering her body

Couple: Oleg Sokolov, 63, is believed to have shot dead his 24-year-old lover Anastasia Yeschenko (pictured together) before dismembering her body

Accused: Oleg Sokolov is pictured in court today at the Oktyabrsky District Court

Accused: Oleg Sokolov is pictured in court today at the Oktyabrsky District Court 

Pale and unshaven, the prominent Napoleon expert broke down in tears in court and covered his face (pictured)

Pale and unshaven, the prominent Napoleon expert broke down in tears in court and covered his face (pictured)

The Kremlin today branded the murder 'a monstrous act of insanity' but sought to portray it as an isolated case.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin, who attended Saint Petersburg State University, was aware of what had happened.

Sokolov's lawyer Alexander Pochuev said of his client: 'He has admitted his guilt'

He added the professor regretted what he had done and was co-operating.

The new CCTV footage allegedly shows Sokolov throwing three packages into the icy water near his home, as an unsuspecting cyclist walks past. 

When he came back with more body parts, he fell into the river as he tried to dispose of the arms, it is claimed.

New details today emerged in the case, with claims that the professor hosted a party in his luxury apartment with his lover's body locked in a spare room.  

Yeschenko had been shot at least four times with a rifle after an argument, it is claimed. Sokolov claimed it was in self-defence.

Police discovered Anastasia's decapitated body and a blood-stained saw at the historian's home.  

A custody hearing was due to be held today with Sokolov under criminal investigation for murder and facing a possible 15 years in prison. 

Yeshchenko (pictured) had allegedly been shot at least four times with a rifle after an argument
The victim's body and a blood-stained saw were found at the historian's home, it is claimed

Yeschenko (pictured) had been shot at least four times with a rifle after an argument, and her decapitated body and a blood-stained saw were found at the historian's home, it is claimed 

Prominent: Sokolov was a professor at St Petersburg University and would often dress up as Napoleon (he is pictured above in 2012)

Sokolov was a professor at St Petersburg University and would often dress up as Napoleon (he is pictured above in 2012 wearing an 1812-era French uniform)

The victim's mother Galina Yeschenko, 49, is a police lieutenant-colonel who travelled from Krasnodar to identify her daughter.

Her father Oleg Yeschenko said: 'I was not personally acquainted with [Sokolov]. But Anastasia never said anything bad about him.

'So what happened shocked us.'

Sokolov met his first wife - also called Anastasia - when he was a 34-year-old schoolteacher and she was his teenage student, according to reports. She later died of cancer.

The professor, who works at St Petersburg State University, is separated from his second wife Anna.

She is said to have known about his relationship with Yeschenko, who was another of his students.

Anastasia's brother said she had called him to say she had rowed with Sokolov after she said she wanted to attend a birthday party for a male friend, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda.

She had been 'crying' and he had 'told her to leave him at once,' he said.

Investigation: Rescuers examine the Moika River where the remains were found and where Sokolov was hauled out of the water after allegedly disposing of the body parts

Rescuers examine the Moika River yesterday where were the remains were found

Sokolov is well known for re-enacting parts of the Napoleonic wars and there are reports that he planned to end his own life while dressed as the French emperor.

Both he and his lover studied French history and liked to wear period costumes, with Sokolov dressing up as Napoleon.

Students described Sokolov as both a talented lecturer who could impersonate the French emperor and his generals and a 'freak' who called his lover 'Josephine' and liked to be addressed as 'Sire'. 

There were claims that Sokolov had shown hostile behaviour in the past but that complaints had been ignored.

'What happened is simply monstrous,' a Saint Petersburg State University lecturer said.

Sokolov (pictured) was hauled out of the river suffering from hypothermia and carrying a backpack containing a woman's arms

Sokolov (pictured) was hauled out of the river suffering from hypothermia and carrying a backpack containing a woman's arms 

Sokolov was president of the Russian Association of Military History and is now a member of the body's scientific council
Oleg Sokolov's apartment being searched by police - the gun the victim was supposedly killed with

Sokolov (pictured left, and right, the gun his victim was supposedly killed wit) was president of the Russian Association of Military History and is now a member of the body's scientific council

More than 6,000 people signed an online petition urging authorities to probe the management of Saint Petersburg State University.

The petition said Sokolov had treated students 'in a monstrous way' and cited another female student who said the historian had beaten her and threatened to burn her with a hot iron and kill her in 2008.

Alyona Popova, a Moscow lawyer and women's rights activist, said Sokolov - who was close to Russian authorities - was 'shielded by our rotten system'.

Pictured: Sokolov's apartment being searched by police

Pictured: Sokolov's apartment being searched by police

'This murder could have been avoided,' she wrote on Facebook.

Women's rights activist Anna Rivina said violence against women was frequently ignored until 'something terrible, irreversible happens'.

'Our society is absolutely not prepared for work to prevent abuse,' said Rivina, who runs a centre providing assistance for victims of violence.

Many also slammed the often toxic culture in academia.

Commenting on a social media page dedicated to gender violence, one woman said university lecturers often seek sexual favours from 'attractive female students'.

'I pity us if this harassment at universities does not finally become a public issue,' wrote another woman, Anastasia Khodyreva.

Sokolov was president of the Russian Association of Military History and is now a member of the body's scientific council.

He received France's Legion d'Honneur in 2003, and had previously taught at the prestigious Paris-Sorbonne University.