Soldier 'Skinned Alive' By Mother Bear Protecting Cubs, Dies 9 Days Later

A Russian soldier died last week after he was “skinned alive” by a mother bear protecting her two cubs.

According to local reports, the man, identified as Alexey Ivanovsky, 36, was collecting crabs on a beach in the remote Kuril Islands when he was viciously attacked by the animal earlier this month.

"It dragged Alexey, but our acquaintances …chased it away only by driving at it [in a car] and dazzling with headlights,” a witness said.

The victim suffered clinical death right after the attack, however, he was resuscitated. He was flown to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries nine days after the attack. Local reports stated that the man’s scalp and back were ripped off and his leg had to be amputated due to the severity of the injuries.

Reports stated that another man, identified as Alexander, 37, tried to save Ivanovsky and was wounded by the animal. He, however, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident comes a few months after a 14-year-old Russian girl was killed by a bear. The girl had stepped out of the home and when she failed to return, her father went out in search of her. The villagers found a mutilated corpse but could not recognize it due to the “appalling wounds.” The body was identified as that of Sony Chernigova.