Trainer survives stalker hammer attack, jumps from window
26-year-old Moscow fitness trainer Apollinaria, who was attacked by a stalker, is preparing to sue his family for compensation. On 3 July, Stanislav, an acquaintance who had been pursuing her for a long time, attacked Apollinaria with a hammer in her apartment, and she jumped out of a window. The woman gave MSK1.RU a detailed account of what happened and her current condition.
“Either down the aisle or to the grave”
33-year-old Stanislav met Apollinaria a year and a half ago when he was training at her fitness club. He began courting her, but the trainer set boundaries, and then he started stalking her.
She added that she even filed a police report, but criminal proceedings were refused. Eventually, she managed to cut off contact with the persistent suitor, and things went quiet.
Some time later, Apollinaria posted an advertisement seeking investors — she wanted to open her own sports studio. That«s when Stanislav reappeared in her life.
“Someone responded to the ad. It turned out to be him,” Apollinaria told MSK1.RU. “He said he«d had a fit of hysteria, that he»d been drinking. Now he«d worked with a psychologist and was ready to make amends. He knew about cost estimates and started helping me with that. I set boundaries, but he wasn»t happy with them.”
“A hammer came from behind. Then a second, third, fourth blow”
On 3 July, Stanislav invited Apollinaria to his home to check documents. She hesitated at first, asking him to send everything via messenger. But he said a special program was needed. She was reassured by the fact that, according to Stanislav, he lived with his grandmother.
When she crossed the threshold of the apartment, he asked her to be quiet so as not to disturb the elderly woman. The fitness trainer still doesn«t understand whether the relative was actually home during the horror: sounds of a TV came from the room, and the light was on.
At first, everything was calm: they turned on the computer and opened documents. Stanislav attacked suddenly — from behind.
“We weren«t arguing, there was no sign of aggression. I was looking at the monitor, and a hammer came from behind,” the woman told MSK1.RU. “I didn»t pass out, then came the second, third, fourth blow… They stitched up four holes in my head.”
To save herself, the woman asked to go to the bathroom: “If I«m going to die, I»ll die beautifully — at least I«ll wash my face.”
“While I was running to the bathroom and turning on the water, he was already loading the shotgun, and I leaped out the window. All the doors were locked,” she recounted.
After the incident, Stanislav took his own life.
What now
Apollinaria has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, bilateral pneumothorax, and fractures of the spine and hip. She is unable to work as a gym trainer and only conducts online sessions. Recovery will take at least six months.
“I worked as self-employed, so I don«t even have sick leave. Moving is difficult, let alone working. Some of the clients who stayed with me agreed to online sessions to support me,” the victim told MSK1.RU.
She plans to file a lawsuit against the attacker«s family to obtain compensation. For that, the criminal case of attempted murder must be sent to court. Stanislav»s relatives have not reached out.
Apollinaria also intends to find out why the police did nothing when Stanislav was stalking her and how he managed to obtain a shotgun license.
“I filed a report with the police, and they refused to open a criminal case. They told me he wasn«t doing anything illegal, that I was imagining it. And the question is where a person gets a weapons license,” the interviewee added.
Earlier, a Muscovite strangled his pregnant common-law wife and went to sleep. Neighbors reported constant quarrels between the couple — they even called the police.
