The key facts

  • On October 18, in the elevator of a building in St. Petersburg, a man grabbed a nine-year-old girl by the neck and head and dragged her into the corridor on the ninth floor
  • The child attracted the neighbors' attention with noise, and the attacker fled; the girl was diagnosed with multiple superficial injuries to the neck
  • The suspect was detained on October 19 and confessed; the court remanded him in custody until December 18, 2026

The court has chosen a measure of restraint

The Nevsky District Court of St. Petersburg has remanded in custody a man accused of attacking a nine-year-old girl in an elevator and attempting to abduct her. This was reported by the United Press Service of the City Courts on its Telegram channel, which Gazeta.Ru cites. The term of detention runs until December 18, 2026.

What happened on October 18

According to the investigation, on October 18, no later than 21:10 Moscow time, a man, while inside the elevator of an apartment building, used physical force against the girl: he grabbed her by the neck and head with his hands and moved her from the elevator into the corridor on the ninth floor. The child attracted the neighbors' attention with noise, after which the attacker fled. The girl was diagnosed with multiple superficial injuries to the neck.

Detention and confession

On October 19, the suspect was detained, and he confessed to what he had done, after which the court remanded him in custody.

Similar cases

Gazeta.Ru recalls other similar incidents. Earlier in St. Petersburg, another man was remanded in custody after attacking a 14-year-old schoolgirl in a stairwell: he knocked her down onto the steps, tried to undress her and touched her intimate body parts. The schoolgirl managed to resist. A day later, the suspect was detained and charged under the article on attempted rape. According to 78.ru, cited by the outlet, the detainee turned out to be a 30-year-old foreign national who is married and has a minor child. In addition, earlier in Kamchatka, a man raped his wife's 16-year-old sister and received a prison sentence.

Why this matters

The case touches on the safety of children in shared residential spaces — elevators and stairwells, where a child is left alone with strangers. The facts presented show that in both St. Petersburg episodes the children avoided abduction or violence thanks to their own actions: the girl attracted the neighbors' attention with noise, the schoolgirl resisted, and in both cases the suspects were detained within a day. Editorial note: the article of charges in the new case has not yet been disclosed in publications, and final conclusions about the qualification of the suspect's actions can only be drawn based on the results of the investigation.