The husband of a St. Petersburg woman who set fire to his mistress denies any intimate relationship.

      May 15, 2026 18:25 Incidents The trial in the case of the arson involving Inna Tsybasova, who suffered 73% burns and miraculously survived, has entered its final stage. In court, the husband of the arsonist, Ilya (the names of the accused and her spouse have been changed), who secretly met with Inna for a year and a half, was interrogated. He is a witness in the case. Irina, Ilya's pregnant wife, upon learning of the infidelity, decided to take revenge not on her husband but on his mistress. She doused Inna with gasoline and set her on fire when Inna was giving Ilya and his son a ride home. Irina was charged with attempted murder in a state of emotional disturbance, but Inna and her lawyer disagree. They believe that Irina planned the murder, and that Ilya is to blame for driving his wife to such a state with his behavior. As reported by "KP-Petersburg," during the interrogations, Ilya admitted to having an intimate relationship with Inna. However, in court, he chose his words carefully while Irina was present. "Inna and I had a close relationship. The complaint from my wife was simple — she didn't like that we communicated a lot with Inna. She would say, 'How much longer?' I didn't give her any reason to be jealous. Irina is thick-skinned in this regard. For her, Inna was a friend. I had many friends in my line of work who could come to my house and fry pies," Ilya explained. The prosecutor clarified whether there was a conflict between Inna and Irina. The husband replied that there was no conflict at the time of the arson. "Just two or three days before the tragedy, my wife overheard my phone conversation with Inna, downloaded some app for eavesdropping. She misunderstood the context of the conversation. Inna and I were talking about how my toilet was leaking, and I bought a new system for it. I said something like, 'I would rather be doing something at your house.' I explained to Irina that she misunderstood everything, that her suspicion was false," Ilya responded, adding that after that, he stopped communicating with Inna. The man explained in detail why he met with Inna on the day of the arson. "I just wanted to pick up tools from Inna's apartment. I took my son with me so that there wouldn't be any double meanings regarding our meeting. Then, on the way, Irina called me and asked to take her to the women's clinic. I went home and didn't find Irina there; we missed each other. I come out of the entrance, and Irina with the child is standing there by Inna's car, moving away from it. And Inna herself is all burned. I asked, 'What happened?' Irina replied, 'Sasha told me (Inna's sister — Ed.) that you are cheating on me,'" Ilya recounted. The husband emphasized that he did not have an intimate life with Inna, calling their relationship "mutual affection." "Our genitals did not touch. And I say this not because my wife is sitting here. It's just that Irina was hurt that the overheard conversation included the phrase, 'Yes, darling,'" Ilya justified himself. Irina's lawyer asked Ilya in detail about Inna's sister. It was she whom Irina called before the arson, posing as a friend and learning details about the infidelity. Ilya believes this was the reason for the arson. "I am ready to file a complaint against her sister," Ilya stated and swore. "You are in the courtroom. Please refrain from using profanity. We are not interested in the sister's motives. We are interested in the motives of the accused," the judge interrupted him. Ilya became flustered and began to evade questions, responding without any specifics. "If you don't know, then there's no need to say it! Are you an adult, capable person? Please, you were asked a question, process it and give a clear answer," the judge requested. Next, the court is expected to interrogate the remaining witnesses and announce the results of the examination. Inna's defense intends to petition for a new investigation to prove that Irina planned the murder and did not act in a state of emotional disturbance. The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, requested a report on the progress of the investigation and trial, having received complaints from Inna and her sister about threats and pressure from Ilya. The NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on the main events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.