TWO MEN accused of killing a Russian woman in April this year will stand before a Criminal Court to face charges of premeditated murder.
Greek nationals Pavlos Tsivitsov and Odysseas Kalanides, both 28, are under investigation for the premeditated murder of Kristina Polyntsova, the attempted murder of her Russian flatmate Olga Malinina, as well as for conspiracy, robbery and burglary.
Both men could face life imprisonment if found guilty of premeditated murder, although legal sources speculate the charges will most likely be downgraded to manslaughter which can carry a maximum sentence of 25 years.
Yesterday, both men informed Judge Angelos David they understood the five charges against him.
On April 16, two men broke into Polynstova’s apartment on Kennedy Avenue in Nicosia by using a ladder to climb onto their balcony.
Investigators believe the young women tried to resist by screaming for help but the two intruders silenced their victims by taping their mouths and noses.
Polyntsova died of asphyxiation and Malinina was rushed to Nicosia General Hospital for treatment. The two then left the apartment taking £440 as well as other personal items belonging to the victims amounting to around £90.
During yesterday’s court proceeding, friends and family members of the two men packed Judge David’s courtroom and listened as the judge ruled that the case against the two men needed to be tried at the Criminal Court.
The court also accepted some statements as evidence and ordered Tsivitsov and Kalanides to answer to the charges on May 31.
Tsivitsov suffered a bout of dizziness as he listened to the charges and received permission from the judge to remain seated.
He slumped his head into his arms as the charges were read out.
Kalanides, who appeared without a lawyer, looked more alert to the proceedings and even smiled when the prosecutor handed him a copy of the police statements.
Tsivitsov’s lawyer, Demetris Pavlides, meanwhile requested from the judge that his client be examined by doctors “because of his ill health”.
His request was sustained by the judge.
Tsivitsov was taken into police custody a few days after Polyntsova’s death as he attempted to escape to the north.
Kalanides was arrested on May 4 in the buffer zone by UNFICYP as he tried to slip back into the south from the occupied territories. He was then handed over to Cypriot police.
Both men will remain in police custody until they appear before the Criminal Court on May 31.
