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Novosibirsk resident Polina Semyanova опубликовала A post in which she explained that her ex-husband, Nikita, who seduced her when she was still a schoolgirl and then killed her father, is now a hero of the SVO. He tours schools and speaks about patriotism. "NeMoskva" contacted Polina to understand how a murderer suddenly became a role model in schools.

"This man has been destroying my psyche since childhood. In April 2021, Nikita got into a conflict with my father, during which he attacked him and began strangling him. When my father stopped showing signs of life, he placed a plastic bag over his head and wrapped it with wire to ensure his death. He carried the body out to his car and drove it to his property, stripped it, and buried it in the foundation of his house. After receiving a long sentence for this murder, but not even serving a quarter of it, he went off to fight, after which he was pardoned. And now there are a lot of posts online about Nikita Semyanov being a hero, visiting children and teaching them love for their homeland and overcoming fear." 

Polina met Nikita Semyanov when she was in fifth grade at a pedagogical lyceum. He taught guitar lessons there. Polina was 10 years old at the time; they began dating at 13, and moved in together at 15. They married, and Polina gave birth to Nikita's daughter at 17. They divorced when she was 18. The divorce was due to constant psychological and physical abuse. Nikita was aggressive and often hit Polina. 

"He beat me. Once he even broke my nose. I wasn't the only girl he slept with. Even when we were married, he'd bring a girl home and say, 'Here's Alisa, she's going to sleep with me tonight, and you'll sleep on the floor.' Nikita drank a lot, and when he was drunk, he'd become aggressive. The reason for the beatings could be, for example, that I hadn't cleaned the house. Or hadn't cooked dinner. Some little thing would literally drive him crazy. But when he was drinking, he didn't need a reason," Polina recalls.

She finally decided to leave her husband after he kicked her. Polina was lucky; Nikita's friend pulled him away. Then Nikita told his wife to get out of the house with her things. He'd kicked Polina out before, but she always came back because she had nowhere else to go. That time, she called a friend, who called her a taxi and "said, 'That's it, you're not coming home anymore.'" 

Polina never returned. She disappeared for two years. She was afraid: her husband threatened to ruin her life or even kill her if she tried to take their child away from him or tell anyone. Nikita's parents took the one-year-old child in. Polina herself was later stripped of her parental rights. 

"My parents knew Nikita; they met him when they came to the lyceum to inquire about my academic performance. He gained their trust. Of course, they were shocked when they found out about our relationship," says Polina.

Polina learned of her father, Alexander Makarenko,'s death in April 2021 from her mother, who was still in hiding. She learned of the circumstances of her father's murder by her ex-husband from the case file, and then, at the trial. 

According to the court decision, published According to a report on the website of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Novosibirsk, Nikita Semyanov pleaded not guilty. He said he and his former father-in-law had known each other for almost 10 years and were friends, but "when I was in a bad mood, I'd quarrel." That April day, they arranged to meet Alexander Makarenko in the garage. They worked together on some garage chores, welding pipes, and that evening, his father-in-law asked him to drive him to his mother's. Semyanov said he'd drop him off later, after finishing work, but his father-in-law refused and demanded to be driven immediately. An argument ensued, during which his former father-in-law allegedly began insulting Semyanov. At one point, they got into a fight, Semyanov grabbed his former father-in-law by the neck, and they tripped, causing both to fall. Semyanov hit his head hard on the concrete garage floor but regained consciousness. However, his father-in-law, according to Semyanov, did not. He checked his pulse and discovered he was already dead. 

"This sent me into a panic and shock. I was terrified and didn't call an ambulance because I was so shocked by what had happened. Then I found a bag in the garage, put it over my ex-father-in-law's head, and secured it loosely with a piece of wire. Then I loaded the body into the trunk and drove it out of the garage. That same evening, I brought the body to my house, where I buried it in the snow, thus hiding it," Nikita's testimony in the court documents states. 

Naturally, a search for Alexander Makarenko began, including by the police. One of the officers, according to Nikita, began intimidating him, saying he could get 10-15 years in prison. So Nikita decided to bury the body in a hole near his house. That's where the police later found it.

At his father-in-law's trial, Nikita Semyanov expressed remorse, saying he was angry and, yes, had intended to harm his former father-in-law. But if he had intended to kill, he would have acted differently, as there were numerous objects in the garage—hammers, an axe, and knives. The court rejected this logic and found Semyanov guilty of murder.

"The court concludes that Nikita Semyanov, during an argument, intentionally, with the intent to kill, grabbed the victim's neck with his hand and forcefully squeezed it until Alexander Makarenko lost consciousness. He then grabbed a wire and a plastic bag, which he placed over the victim's head. He then forcibly tied the bag around the victim's neck with the wire and squeezed it, causing the victim's death," the court ruling states. Judge Rimma Kuznetsova sentenced Nikita Semyanov to nine years in prison.

Nikita didn't even serve two years, Polina says. He spent a year in pretrial detention and less than a year in a penal colony. She didn't know her ex-husband had volunteered for the war. Then she saw a post on social media about Nikita visiting schools and giving courage lessons. She started searching for other posts about her husband's "escapades" and commenting on them. No one responded. After her own post about Nikita being a murderer went viral, some posts about Nikita, the hero of the "SVO," began disappearing from social media. 

In particular, the Garin-Mikhailovsky Library public page deleted its post. However, posts about it are still available in other public pages: Novosibirsk The Russian Association of Heroes and Lyceum No. 9 branch reported on a single meeting—with cadets at the Lyceum. The Association of Heroes called Semyanov "a volunteer fighter and participant in the assault on Bakhmut." The Lyceum simply wrote that they "sat with a veteran of the SVO over cake and tea and talked about the war."  

Nikita Semyanov's ex-wife, Polina, now wants only one thing: that her father's killer not be celebrated as a hero. 

"They could have found someone more worthy. Knowing this person's entire background, how can they allow him near children? After publishing the post, I received a lot of support. More than hate. Some wrote openly, others sent private messages because they were afraid. This is now discrediting. I can't keep up with journalists' calls," the girl says. After this story became public, other girls who had relationships with Nikita began writing to her. They want to speak out and seek punishment for the SVO veteran, Semyanov.