A Russian professor and renowned expert on Napoleon has been detained in St Petersburg after he allegedly admitted murdering a female student.

Oleg Sokolov, 63, was hauled from the Moika River in St Petersburg on Saturday, and a rucksack was found containing two severed human arms.

Police later identified the arms as belonging to a female student, and said it had found other body parts in Sokolov's home, close to the river.

Image: The professor has been detained for two months prior to a trial

His lawyer, Alexander Pochuev, said Sokolov has confessed to the murder of one of his former students.

Officials say that Sokolov fatally shot Anastasia Eshchenko, 24, on Thursday, then dismembered the body.


Sokolov is being detained in prison for two months pending a trial, after a court rejected his lawyer's request for him to be released under house arrest.

In court, Sokolov broke down in tears, and gave an account of an argument he had with Ms Eshchenko - but stopped short of giving more details.

He also confirmed that he was in a romantic relationship with his victim.

State television showed comments from Ms Eshchenko's brother, whom she had called before she died, and said she was crying over the phone and claimed that Sokolov had beaten her during an argument.

Her brother added she had told him she had left the apartment where Sokolov was, but needed to go back in to collect her things.

Image: Sokolov told the court he had argued with his victim

Sokolov is internationally known for his work on Napoleon, and had even been awarded the Legion of Honour for his work on Napoleon - France's highest award.

He is also involved in battle re-enactments, and would often dress as the French military leader at events.

Local media reported that Sokolov told police that once he had confessed to the murder, he was going to put on a Napoleonic costume and take his own life at the site of the Peter and Paul Fortress - the original citadel of St Petersburg.

Sokolov was fired from St Petersburg University, and President Vladimir Putin, who attended the same institution, called the crime "a monstrous act of insanity".