ST. PETERSBURG, November 14 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – Detention of the St. Petersburg State University’s history professor, who stands charged with the murder of his postgraduate student Anastasia Yeshchenko, has been appealed by defense, RAPSI has learnt from the United press service of the city’s courts.

Earlier, the defendant’s attorney Alexander Pochuyev said that his client did not want to appeal against detention. However, the lawyer lodged the appeal.

Pochuyev claims that evidence constituting a ground for detention has not been examined in full. Therefore, the ruling on detention should be overturned, Pochuyev states.

On November 11, the Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg detained Sokolov until January 8.

According to investigators, rescuers pulled the 63-year reader out of a local river early on November 9 and hospitalized. Woman’s severed hands and a nonlethal pistol were found in his backpack. Other parts of her body were found in his flat. The man was arrested when left the hospital the next day. He voluntary surrendered.

The victim was identified as the 24-year postgraduate student of the St. Petersburg State University and Sokolov’s partner.

Sokolov pleaded guilty. He said that he gunned the woman and broke up her body.

During the court hearing, he did not object to possible detention, while his defense asked the court to place the suspect under house arrest.

Despite Sokolov pleaded guilty he refused to pour out the alleged crime citing the Article 51 of the Russian Constitution saying that nobody must witness against self, spouses or close relatives.

Sokolov is a historian and ideologist of reconstruction of Napoleonic period battles. He has been conferred the Legion of Honor, the French national award instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte.