Nina Rudchenko has a lot to be thankful for after surviving a brutal assault from her violent neighbours who not only beat her for hours but also buried her alive.
The 57-year-old Ukrainian woman made it to international news headlines earlier this month when her assault and miraculous escape was reported.
Nina who is from the Ukrainian region of Poltava told police that she was inside her house in the village of Maryanske when two local brothers aged 27 and 30 stormed in and started hitting her with their fists and a baseball bat.
She claims to have been badly beaten hours before blacking out and waking up at the local cemetery.
It is gathered that the brothers identified as Oleg and Vladimir dragged an unconscious Nina to the cemetery in the middle of the night.
They resuscitated her by pouring cold water on her, handed her a shovel and asked her to dig her own grave.
Nina further alleges that as she struggled to dig with the shovel, she was threatened by the brothers to give them her house. They allegedly threatened her that if she refused they will burn her sister and bury her son-in-law nearby.
The brutal assault ended with them asking her to lie in the grave when it was completed and they covered her up with dirt.
Nina told reporters that she managed to keep a cool head as the pressure of the soil on top of her grew until the two assailants went away. She claims she heard them asking themselves if she was dead already, and after hearing them walking away, she started frantically digging herself out with her hands.
According to a video report by Ukrainian news station NTN, Nina managed to escape the shallow pit and crawl back to her house, where she passed out. She was found lying on the floor by her sister, who then called the police.
After she was taken to a nearby hospital, she was diagnosed with several fractures, a concussion, and numerous bruises on her face, limbs and torso.
Speaking from the hospital where she was recuperating under the care of medical staff and members of her family, the 57-year-old said that her head was still spinning and that she was still experiencing blackouts because of her head injuries.
But worst of all, she was afraid to return home, because the two brothers hadn’t been detained by police.
A criminal proceeding has been launched against the two alleged assailants by the Ukrainian police and if found guilty, the brothers risk spending up to five years in prison.
They admitted to attacking the woman but claimed they only did it as revenge for her stealing their dog, which disappeared about six months ago.
The two brothers’ mother also accused Rudchenko’s family of theft and told reporters that she doesn’t believe her sons tortured the woman.
It is uncertain if they were eventually detained.
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