Older Brother Brings Body Home; Diveyevo Bids Farewell to Drowned Toddler
On Thursday, January 29, the funeral of a 5-year-old boy is taking place in the village of Diveyevo, Nizhny Novgorod Region. The 46-year-old mother, Alexandra Shalina, drowned him in a bathtub in an apartment in southern Moscow. Investigators handed over the child«s body to his older brother the day before, four days after the tragedy.
The child«s funeral service is being held at the Church of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Afterward, relatives and concerned villagers will proceed to the cemetery to bury the child.
Relatives of the deceased boy have gathered in the church. They hold candles in their hands as the priest conducts the funeral service for the little boy. Many of them cannot hold back their tears.
In Diveyevo, many people know the Shalin family. In spring 2024, the father of the deceased child ended up in a pre-trial detention center (SIZO): the 55-year-old Alexander was accused of rape by his 15-year-old stepdaughter. Together with her mother Alexandra, she demanded a prison sentence for her stepfather and compensation of 40 million rubles (approximately $400,000 at current rates). The case caused widespread controversy: many residents of Diveyevo believed that the man had been falsely accused.
The boy«s mother, Alexandra Shalina, fled to Moscow soon after the incident. She settled with her children in a friend»s apartment in the southern district. It was there on January 24 that Shalina killed her son. Realizing that the toddler showed no signs of life, she called the police and surrendered to the law enforcement officers who arrived on the call. During interrogation, Alexandra stated that she had long considered killing her son because she did not want to raise him. On January 26, the Nagatinsky Court sent her to a pre-trial detention center on criminal charges of killing a minor (clause «v» of part 2 of Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code).
All details about the tragedy are collected in a separate story.
