Russia Jails Two for Torturing, Killing Animals and Filming It

The two tortured nearly 15 animals and posted the video to YouTube. 

(Photo: YouTube screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

On Friday, a Russian court sentenced to jail two women who had made a video of themselves – torturing and killing animals. The "sadistic" teenagers, according to Russian television, took animals to abandoned buildings, where they shot them with airguns, stamped on them and cut their eyes out.

In 2016, the two were minors when they filmed themselves torturing at least 15 animals. They later posted these shocking videos to YouTube, leading to their arrest in 2016.

Alyona Savchenko was sentenced to four years and three months, while her friend Alina Orlova was given three years and 10 days, following a five-month long closed trial. The women had been named "Khabarovsk slaughterers" by the media and had pleaded guilty.

In course of the investigation, other crimes committed by the two also came to light. These included robbery, hate crime, as well as cruel treatment of animals. Psychiatric reports, however, said the two were not suffering from any mental disorder.

The women’s male friend, who shot the videos, has also been sentenced to three years in jail.

This judgement is rare for Russia, where animal cruelty is not this severely punished. The women's family members have also been fined for "inadequate bringing up of children".

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