A man accused of raping a mother and killing her and her twin four-year-old sons before setting them on fire is facing life behind bars.

Vitaly Nasrtdinov, 39, is accused of killing Polina Titova and her twin sons in the rural town of Kirovgrad, in the western Siberian region of Sverdlovsk Oblast, in south-central Russia, on 22nd September 2021.

The authorities have now announced that they have finished their investigation and that the accused faces life in prison.

Investigators said that Nasrtdinov had got drunk with the teacher, with whom he had been staying after his wife kicked him out, before the pair got into an argument.

Nasrtdinov allegedly hit Polina over the head nine times and strangled her, causing her to fall unconscious. He then went into another room where he allegedly killed the two boys, stabbing the first boy 24 times and stabbing his brother twice, in the arm and neck.

He then noticed that Polina was still alive and allegedly proceeded to rape her before stabbing her eight times.

Nasrtdinov is then accused of stealing her jewellery before setting the flat on fire to cover up the gruesome crimes.

The Prosecutor’s Office for the Sverdlovsk Region said in a statement on Thursday, 4th August: “The Prosecutor’s Office sent to court a high-profile criminal case on the murder of a woman and her two young twin sons in the city of Kirovgrad.”

They said that Nasrtdinov is accused of aggravated murder, among other crimes.

The statement also said: “According to the investigation, on 22nd September, 2021, from 2am to 4pm in Kirovgrad, in the apartment of the victim, where she lived with her two sons, born in 2017, who was in a state of alcoholic intoxication, the accused […] inflicted at least 9 blows on the head and torso of his acquaintance, then squeezed her neck with his hands until the woman lost consciousness.

“Deciding that his actions led to the death of the victim, the accused proceeded to the room where her sons were, and with particular cruelty stabbed the first one at least 24 times in the chest and neck, and then delivered at least 2 blows to the arm and neck of the other victim. Both boys died at the scene shortly after.”

The statement added: “Finding that the victim was alive, the defendant moved her to the bathroom, where he committed a violent crime against her sexual freedom. After that, he inflicted at least eight blows to her body with a knife, and then, squeezing her neck with his hands, strangled her.

“The defendant stole jewellery and a smartphone from the apartment of the murdered woman, and then set fire to the sofa with a lighter. As a result of the fire, property of the victims worth more than RUB 460,000 [GBP 6,275] was destroyed.

“The criminal case was sent to the Sverdlovsk Regional Court for consideration on the merits.”

They said that the defendant faces life imprisonment if found guilty.