Russian killer who used a meat grinder to dispose of his 27-year-old lover’s body is pardoned and released from prison by Putin as a reward for his fight against Ukraine
- Dmitry Zelensky served an eleven-year prison sentence for the murder of his lover Tatiana
A Russian murderer who used a meat grinder to dispose of his lover’s body has been pardoned and released from prison by Vladimir Putin as reward for his fight in the war against Ukraine.
Dmitry Zelensky, 41 – who has the same surname as the Ukrainian president – served an 11-year prison sentence in a high-security penal colony for strangling university graduate Tatiana Melekhina, 27, before dismembering her body.
A law enforcement source said the “exceptional brutality” of the killing had “shocked even seasoned detectives.”
“He not only dismembered her body, he separated the flesh and bones and made mincemeat out of it,” the source said.
‘Then he flushed this minced meat down the toilet into the sewerage system. He threw the bones into the river. This was his plan to cover up the murder.”
Murderer Dmitry Zelensky, 41, who killed his lover Tatiana Melekhina and put her remains through a meat grinder, has been released from prison
Tatiana Melekhina (pictured) was murdered in a case that, according to a law enforcement source, ‘shocked even seasoned detectives’
Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin (photo) has pardoned the murderer for his fight against Ukraine
A massive search was launched for missing Tatiana after her father reported her disappearance.
Zelensky, from Perm, eventually confessed to killing her after an argument. He had hidden from his lover that he was married and had a daughter.
When his 44-year-old wife, also named Tatiana, found out, she said: “I don’t know what to say now… I didn’t know he could be so cruel.”
The victim’s sister Oksana expressed her outrage that the family had not been informed of Zelensky’s release.
“It was stated at his trial that we would be informed of his whereabouts and his movements,” she said.
‘We were never told anything.
“My father has written asking for details, but no one answers.”
His pardon and freedom were confirmed by Zelensky’s mother, Galina. It is not known where he fought in the war.
Zelensky had hidden from his lover that he was married and had a daughter (pictured together above)
A major search was launched for missing Tatiana (pictured) after her father reported her disappearance
His pardon and freedom were confirmed by Zelensky’s mother, Galina. It is not known where he fought in the war
Zelensky eventually confessed to killing his lover. In the photo: floral tributes for the victim
“My son went to war for many reasons – he wanted to pay for what he had done,” the mother said.
When Zelensky confessed to killing his lover, it turned out that he had promised her a fresh start in a big city.
They drove from their remote Russian town of Gubakha, but they never arrived in the regional capital of Perm.
In reality, the married father Zelensky did not intend to permanently move to Perm.
Tatiana was reported missing by her father after she failed to call him to say she had arrived.
She had promised him before leaving on the 250-mile ride, “I’ll call you as soon as I get to town.”
Russians have expressed fears about the number of hardened criminals who will be allowed to fight for Putin for six months, then be pardoned and allowed to return to normal life, amid fears of a new crime wave.
Early this year, Putin began handing out medals to reward violent convicts recruited from Russian prisons for their “courageous” fights in Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry announced in March that thousands of Russian convicts who fought for the Wagner private mercenary army would be pardoned and released.