A 33-year-old woman in Shushary, St. Petersburg, has been charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm and torture on her six-year-old nephew, who was under her guardianship. The Investigative Committee of the Pushkinsky District initially disbelieved the woman’s claims that the child was self-harming, leading to the charges under Article 111 (part two) and Article 117 (part two, paragraph “g”) of the Criminal Code. The prosecutor’s office is now overseeing the case.

The investigation revealed that the woman allegedly subjected her nephew to systematic beatings and torture from April until his hospitalization on June 4. The child was admitted to intensive care in serious condition.

He underwent head surgery and was found to have a ruptured internal organ and burns. Currently, he is on a ventilator. Upon recovery, he will be placed in a social children’s institution.

The woman initially claimed the boy injured himself, telling paramedics he fell after drinking water. She also alleged he inflicted burns on himself by turning on hot water. The child’s biological mother was deprived of parental rights in 2023, and other relatives declined to care for him due to his behavior. The woman has three biological children of her own.

The woman has been detained, and investigators are seeking her formal arrest and detention pending trial.