A Russian model who has appeared in high fashion magazines, including Vogue, has reportedly been charged with stabbing her husband to death with a kitchen knife.
Lilia Sudakova, 26, could face up to 15 years in a Russian jail for allegedly killing her husband Sergey Popov, 28, according to Russian media reports.
Sudakova reportedly stabbed the allegedly abusive Popov in the heart during an argument at an apartment they were renting on Gagarinskaya Street in St Petersburg on November 28.
She immediately called an ambulance and Popov was rushed to the Janelidze Research Institute of Emergency Medicine where he died, according to local outlet Fontanka.
Reports say she was arrested on December 1 and confessed to knifing her husband of four years.
Footage shared online appears to show the model wearing a hooded jacket and face covering as police escort her from a vehicle into a building. The clip has not been verified by Newsweek.
She has apparently been charged with deliberately causing grievous bodily harm and manslaughter and has been detained in pretrial custody for two months.
Her mother Irena Sudakova, 48, told Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that her daughter was the longtime victim of domestic abuse and acted in self-defence when she killed Popov.
The model - who goes by Lila Sudakova for work - appeared in Russian Vogue and in magazines in Italy, China and Japan as well as advertising campaigns for Russian clothes brands.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of the Interior for comment.
What we know so far
According to reports, the incident happened at the couple's vacation home in Serpukhov, near Moscow.
Sudakova's mother, Irena told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper that Popov was abusive and an alcoholic who got violent when he drank.
She told the newspaper that a another witness in the apartment said he had drunkenly brought home a woman who he had met at a bar and expected his wife to cook for them.
She said that Popov apparently grabbed Sudakova's hair and kicked her in the legs.
Irena said he retreated into another room but soon returned as she was cutting vegetables for a salad. He then allegedly began to grab her by the hair before she reportedly stabbed him in the chest.
According to media reports, the model did not realise the injury was fatal. She immediately called an ambulance and Popov was rushed to hospital where he died.
According to Irena, Sergei was a pleasant and intelligent guy, but everything changed as soon as he touched alcohol.
She said: "When he is sober, he is smart, well-read, he has an interesting story, competent speech. He mesmerized with his mind.
"But when drunk, he doesn't understand anything at all," she added.
