Margarita Gracheva’s husband chopped off her hands. Now she’s Russia’s voice against domestic violence
- ‘Transformer mom’s’ right hand was replaced with a bionic one, while her left was preserved in snow and reattached after painful surgery
- Gracheva’s story has captivated Russia, turning spotlight on abuse in a country where issue is often ignored
In a country where victims of domestic violence receive scant attention, it is rare for one woman’s case to stand out – let alone captivate a nation and make her a household name.
Perhaps it is because Margarita Gracheva’s story is so barbaric, her resilience so extraordinary and the Kremlin’s attention so unexpected.
In December 2017, Gracheva’s husband led her into a forest where he chopped off her hands with an axe – a final, horrific act after months of abuse.
On Instagram, she hashtags herself #TransformerMom for her right, bionic hand. Her left hand, preserved in the snow that fateful day, was reattached through several painful surgeries.
Now, the 27-year-old mother of two boys has become a media sensation across Russia, winning a book deal with a pro-Kremlin publisher and turning into a regular fixture on state-run television.
Her embrace by Kremlin-backed media is all the more stunning in a country that decriminalised some forms of domestic violence nearly three years ago, and where disagreement with government policies is rarely aired.