Russian model Gretta Vedler, 23 who criticised President Putin calling him a "psychopath was found dead in a suitcase. The 23-year-old reportedly went missing in 2021, not long after publishing critical content about Putin, even allegedly referring to him as a ‘psychopath’ on social media. While Russian is known for its restrictive and censorial approach to protests, Vedler’s disappearance had raised eyebrows at the time, given its circumstances. However, reports now suggest there is no link between her Putin rant and her killing.
As per a news portal, the ex-boyfriend was “jealous” of her and allegedly strangled her to death over financial matters. This was a month after her controversial Putin post. Reports suggest Korovin stuffed Vedler’s body into a suitcase and allegedly stayed with it for a few nights in a hotel room after killing her last year. He then drove 300 miles from the location and stashed the suitcase in a car, where it stayed for a year until it was discovered by investigators. Even after her death, Korovin apparently continued to post social media updates from Vedler’s profile to keep up the illusion that she was alive. His confession comes a year after the crime and in the midst of Russia invading neighbouring Ukraine. The details of the case reportedly came to light after a Ukrainian friend of Vedler, Evgeniy Foster, grew suspicious and managed to get the message across to authorities in Moscow. A missing person’s report was filed and investigators traced their steps to Vedler’s body.