Irina Tsybaneva said her note was a ‘cry from the heart’ (Pictures: East2West News/AP)
A Russian grandma left a note on the grave of Vladimir Putin’s parents, telling them their son is a ‘freak and a killer’.
Irina Tsybaneva, 60, wrote: ‘Parents of a maniac, take him to your place. He causes so much pain and trouble.
‘The whole world prays for his death. Death to Putin. You raised a freak and a killer.’
Tsybaneva was convicted of the desecration of burial places motivated by political hatred this week.
But she insisted her actions were not related to politics, calling it a ‘cry from the heart’ instead.
She told a court in St Petersburg that she was ‘overwhelmed by fear and felt unwell’ over the war in Ukraine when she delivered the letter – the day before Putin’s 70th birthday last October.
She said: ‘In the morning I watched the news on TV, they talked about the special military operation, and talked about nuclear war.
Irina Tsybaneva told the court her note was not politically motivated (Picture: AP)
The note said: ‘The whole world prays for his death. Death to Putin.’ (Picture: East2West News)
‘I feared for my family and friends. I don’t understand anything about politics, I wasn’t interested in it. I barely remember writing the note. I don’t have any recollection of the text itself.
‘I realise that I succumbed to my emotions and committed an irrational act. I am sorry that my actions could offend or affect someone.’
Tsybaneva was handed a suspended two-year sentence and banned from the cemetery where Putin’s parents are buried.
This is not the first time someone has left a letter for Putin’s mum and dad. Russian art activists The Party of the Dead previously wrote: ‘Dear parents! Your son is behaving disgracefully!
‘He skips history lessons, fights with classmates, threatens to blow up the whole school. Take action!’
The 60-year-old grandma, Tsybaneva, waiting for a court session in St Petersburg (Picture: AP)
Russians have recently seen a major crackdown on dissent from Putin’s government (Picture: Getty)
Tsybaneva’s sentence is a fairly lenient punishment compared to the ones which have been recently handed out to those who have carried out anti-war demonstrations.
The Kremlin has been cracking down on dissent in ways which have not been seen since the Soviet era.
Russian state TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, 43, had to flee the country after she was facing up to 15 years in prison for her anti-war protest last year.
She ran behind the anchor presenting Russia’s most-watched news programme and waved a sign saying: ‘NO WAR. Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you here.’
This week, she told Sky News: ‘Russian people are intimidated and there is nothing that will make people take to the streets.
‘The police are everywhere and you just raise your head from the ground and your life will be upended.’
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The note started with: ‘Parents of a maniac, take him to your place. He causes so much pain and trouble.’