Russian killer, who put girlfriend's body in meat grinder, granted pardon for fighting in Ukraine

Dmitry Zelensky, a Russian convict who gained notoriety for brutally murdering his girlfriend and putting her body in a meat grinder, has been pardoned after serving less than half of his 11-year prison sentence, when he returned after fighting against Ukraine, the New York Post reported. The story gets really dark as it involves not just the murder but also the gruesome cover-up.

In 2018, Zelensky strangled his 27-year-old girlfriend, Tatiana Melekhina, with his bare hands. Then, in a subsequent attempt to conceal his heinous crime, he dismembered her body and turned it into mincemeat. The Russian murderer confessed to these horrific actions while turning himself in, describing the gruesome process of butchering and disposing of the victim's remains.

“I butchered her body, ran it through a meat grinder, collected the bones inthree bags, and threw them in the river,” the media outlet reported while quoting Zelensky.

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Criminal turned serving as Wagner fighter

In November 2022, Zelensky was recruited by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group to fight in the Ukraine conflict. He returned from the war zone in April this year and received an unexpected pardon from the Russian government.

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Currently residing with his aunt in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, Zelensky is planning to move to Anapa on the Black Sea coast, where he intends to work in construction.

While Zelensky's mother believes that her son's pardon is justified due to his apparent remorse for his past actions, the victim's family, particularly her sister, expressed dismay over not being notified of his release and pardon.

Tragic love story and murder

Tatiana Melekhina, an accountant, unknowingly became involved with Zelensky, a machinist nine years her senior, who concealed his marriage and daughter from her.

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She mysteriously disappeared in 2018 after a reported dispute with Zelensky. Initially, he claimed to have dropped her off in the city and was unaware of anything that may have happened following that.However, Zelensky laterclaimed that Melekhina insulted his childhood friend. However, the friend denied any prior acquaintance with her.

“I became angry. I wanted to calm her down,” Zelensky reportedly told investigators and added, “She was screaming. I grabbed her by the throat from behind, put her in a chokehold… I dragged her while continuing to restrain her and tightening my grip on her throat. She stopped breathing.”

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Zelensky's family assertedthat he agreed to join the conflict in Ukraine as a form of atonement for his past actions, as well as to reduce his prison sentence. His ex-wife has cut all ties with him, even changing her and her daughter's last names, as per Zelensky's mother.

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