To all appearances, Russian sisters Elizaveta Dubrovina (22) and Stefania Dubrovina (17) seemed very close and loving of one another. It therefore came as a huge shock to family, friends and the community when Elizaveta (pictured right), turned on her younger sister (left) and stabbed her to death.
For years, Elizaveta had idolised her sister's image and tried her best to emulate Stefania's appearance - from hairstyle choices to make-up routines. However, in 2016, Stefania had turned 17 years old and was beginning to receive modelling opportunities, which in turn accompanied the attention of men. For Elizaveta, idolisation turned to uncontrollable envy, and she reached a heinous breaking point.
The two sisters were left alone in a St Petersburg apartment belonging to Alexey Fateev - Stefania's older boyfriend - while he went out shopping. A confrontation broke out between them, resulting in Elizaveta flying into a savage rage allegedly fuelled by drug use. She stabbed her sister 189 times in the head, neck, torso, arms and legs with such severity that her vital organs were punctured. Stefania's eyeballs were also gouged out, and her ear severed. She was left suffering and bleeding to death by the sibling she thought had cared for her.
Alexey returned home to find Stefania's mutilated body, and was able to detain Elizaveta before she could flee the scene. She was then subsequently arrested and charged for 'murder with particular cruelty'. During footage of court proceedings, Elizaveta was shown shackled and contained within a glass box, and showed no signs of emotion or remorse. The prosecution stated: "There are photographs of both sisters hugging each other but there is no doubt that the elder sister envied the younger one." Although facing up to 25 years, Elizaveta ultimately received 13 years imprisonment for her sister's murder.
When recollecting the horrific events, the girls' aunt described it as a "shocking tragedy" and said her "blood turns to ice" whenever she recalls the gory details of her niece's crime. However, the girls' mother has proven to be supportive of Elizaveta and has previously insinuated that the blame lies with Stefania's older boyfriend, Alexey, who she believed was truly responsible for her daughter's death.
