From Russia with crime

A mother hacked three of her own children to death with an axe, she didn’t have the strength to kill the fourth

Episode Summary

In a quiet Siberian town, a mother picks up an axe and slaughters three of her children. Only one survives — not because she spared him, but because she says she didn’t have the strength to kill him too. This episode unpacks the disturbing case of Valentina Mytko, a mother with a known psychiatric history, and the systemic failures that let tragedy unfold. Also: a second mother, a religious delusion, and three more children dead. Two crimes. One chilling theme.

Episode Notes

In a quiet Siberian town, a mother picks up an axe and slaughters three of her children. Only one survives — not because she spared him, but because she says she didn’t have the strength to kill him too. This episode unpacks the disturbing case of Valentina Mytko, a mother with a known psychiatric history, and the systemic failures that let tragedy unfold. Also: a second mother, a religious delusion, and three more children dead. Two crimes. One chilling theme.