Russian Woman Who Asked Putin's Dead Parents To 'Take Him With You' Sentenced

A Russian woman who previously attempted to commune with the dead parents of President Vladimir Putin has been sentenced to jail, according to a report.

Irina Tsybaneva, a 60-year-old St. Petersburg resident, visited the city's Serafimovskoe Cemetery in October last year where she left a handwritten note on the grave of Putin's parents asking the dead couple to take their "madman" son with them due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Parents of a madman, take him with you, there's so much pain and suffering because of him, the whole world is praying for his death," the note read, as translated by the independent news website Meduza. "Death to Putin; you've raised a monster and a murderer."

Tsybaneva has been given a suspended two-year prison sentence for desecrating a burial site, per the Russian Telegram channel SOTA, as translated via Google Translate. Her prison sentence is down one year from the prosecution's request for a suspended three-year sentence. Under Russian criminal law, the crime is punishable by up to a maximum of five years imprisonment.

Tsybaneva left the note on Putin's parents' grave on Oct. 6. Four days later, law enforcement officers visited her apartment and took her into police custody. She was identified through footage taken by the cemetery's security cameras.

A subsequent test conducted by the Russian police found that her DNA matched the traces of skin found on the paper. A handwriting expert also confirmed that Tsybaneva's handwriting matched the one on the note.

It is unclear how Tsybaneva gained access to the grave of Putin's parents. Security on the grounds of the Serafimovskoe Cemetery was tightened in September last year after Anastasia Filippova, an activist, left a small sign that read: "Dear parents! Your son is behaving disgracefully! He skips history classes, fights with classmates, threatens to blow up the whole school! Take action!"

Prior to her conviction, Tsybaneva was placed under house arrest until Nov. 8, 2022. She was also forbidden from using the internet, phone, or mail. It is unclear where she will be placed following the sentence. She is not expected to file an appeal.