A woman from St. Petersburg who set her husband's mistress on fire asked her for forgiveness in court.

      April 8, 2026 08:14 Incidents St. Petersburg resident Inna Tsybasova, who miraculously escaped death, left the hospital for the first time after nearly nine months of recovery: the 41-year-old woman suffered burns on 73% of her body after being doused with flammable liquid and set on fire by pregnant Irina R. (the names of the accused and her husband have been changed). The cause was jealousy. Inna spent several months in a coma. The treatment requires enormous costs. She is relearning to speak, eat, and drink, and any simple actions cause pain. Therefore, the accusation against the arsonist is particularly unfair to her: Irina was charged with attempted murder in a state of emotional disturbance. The investigation believes that the pregnant woman was not aware of her actions, which is confirmed by an expert examination. If it had been attempted murder, Irina would have faced several years in prison, but now she may avoid punishment. Inna came to court with her mother and sister. She moves slowly, leaning on a cane. Her face, hands, and fingers are covered with red scars, and her skin has lost elasticity. "Every minute I experience severe pain. I barely made it in a taxi. Any bump, turn – it’s a sharp jolt... But it’s this pain that made me come here... I want to be seen and heard... Instructors work with me every day, moving my hands and fingers, practically breaking them. But the doctors do not give forecasts on when the treatment and rehabilitation will end. Drips, dressings, pills… I think this will be with me for the rest of my life," Inna told "KP-Petersburg." She also admitted that she had long wanted to meet the arsonist and indignantly noted that she lives peacefully at home and raises children while Inna has to undergo treatment. Moreover, Inna's own daughter has suffered psychological trauma and has to live without her mother. Inna's lawyer added that there is a chance for a harsher sentence for Irina. The prosecution disagrees with the results of the psychological and psychiatric examination and will ask the court to appoint a re-examination at another institution. Meanwhile, the accused, her lawyer, and a man from the support group were hiding around the corner, avoiding the camera. The unfaithful husband Ilya, who caused everything to happen, is a witness and does not appear in court just like that. During the hearing, the prosecutor asked Inna to recall the day of the incident. She recounted that she and Ilya were running errands together since they were colleagues, and Ilya's young son was in the car with them. Irina called and asked to be taken to the doctor. Inna pulled up to the house, Ilya left, and Irina got into the car, doused her with flammable liquid, and set her on fire. Inna burned for several minutes before escaping from the car onto the street. A passerby extinguished her. Irina shouted after her: "Take that, you creature!" Answering questions, Inna admitted that when Irina began to suspect something about the intimate relationship between colleagues, she asked her to stop communicating with her husband. Inna agreed, but they needed time to move Ilya's things. In court, the testimony of Irina's son was read. He saw his mother set Inna on fire. The prosecutor read: "Dad took me to ride with Irina. We went to the store together... I was sitting inside, and then there was fire in the car, Tsybasova was burning. It was terrible! Mom brought the fire... Mom pulled me out of the car, and I didn’t burn." At the climactic moment of the court, Irina spoke to Inna. They could not look each other in the eyes, both were crying. "Inna, forgive me if you can," the accused pleaded, but Inna replied that she was not ready because of the pain. The court proceedings were postponed until the end of April. The next step is the interrogation of Ilya. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay updated on the main events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When republishing, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is required. This resource may contain materials 18+