Russian professor found in river with woman’s arms in bag

Oleg Sokolov signs statement of guilt over killing of student in St Petersburg

Prof Oleg Sokolov giving orders to his troops during a re-enactment of the 1812 war in St Petersburg in 2014. File photograph: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Sun Nov 10 2019 - 15:11

A well-known history professor pulled from a river with a backpack containing severed arms has been detained by police in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

Oleg Sokolov, who works at St Petersburg State University, was arrested on suspicion of killing a female student after he was found in the Moika river on Saturday.

Police later reportedly found the student’s body in his apartment.

Russian emergency rescuers and police investigators conduct searches on the Moika river, in St Petersburg, following the killing of a woman that implicates historian Oleg Sokolov. Photograph: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Lawyer Alexander Pochuev said Sokolov, an expert in French revolutionary military history, had signed a statement of guilt, according to reports.

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He was hospitalised with hypothermia on Saturday but taken to a police station for questioning on Sunday.

Reports said Sokolov had been given France’s Legion of Honour award for his work. – AP

St Petersburg State University Alexander Pochuev Oleg Sokolov