Two Russian sisters, Anastasia and Alexandra, aged 12, from Oviedo, died on a Friday after jumping from the window of their building. They did not leave a suicide note, but the topic of self-harm had a constant presence in their daily lives.
The National Police are examining material found at their home to understand what happened. The two sisters, described by teachers and classmates as good students who fit in seamlessly at school with a broad circle of friends, were living ordinary lives until the tragic event.
Early indications from people close to the investigation show no suicide notes or farewell letters. However, the notebooks under scrutiny contain frequent references to self-harm. The twins reportedly wrote about taking their own lives with regularity, suggesting a preoccupation with this theme that emerges from the reviewed manuscripts.
Meanwhile, some details reported by a newspaper were not verified by the sources consulted. There were claims of drawings on the same topic found in the notebooks, attributed to one of the twins who reportedly paid closer attention to suicide imagery.
All this information reinforces the impression that Anastasia and Alexandra may have been planning such an act for some time. Other late-breaking data appears to align with this interpretation. The sisters were in sixth grade and were about to embark on their year-end trip, a multi-day excursion to Madrid scheduled for next week, which would have marked the end of the elementary period. They had already told their school they would not participate in the trip a week earlier.
Despite the school community’s profound sense of loss, the La Ería public school administration decided to proceed with the study tour, informing families to preserve school morale and protect students from further distress as much as possible.
The community in Asturias, particularly those connected to eastern European families, expressed grief and support for the family. There was mention of the possible transportation of the girls’ remains outside Spain, though some sources could not confirm whether the family had made a definite decision. It was reported that the mother hoped for a burial in Russia for Alexandra and Anastasia.
At La Ería public school, teachers and students carried their sorrow with quiet restraint. Some teachers who had shared the twins in their classrooms responded to condolences with a sense of disbelief that such a tragedy could occur, and they emphasized the need to understand the reasons behind the girls’ choices rather than rush to conclusions about bullying or other pressures in the school environment.
The Mothers and Fathers Association of La Ería issued a statement expressing deep sorrow and asking for privacy and respect for the family and the entire school community during this sensitive time. The message was shared on social media amid the ongoing mourning.
On Saturday, expressions of regret and support continued. The Archbishop of Oviedo, during a communion service on Saturday afternoon, spoke about the Russian twins on Facetos street, noting that their fall from the sixth floor reflected a broader concern for society regarding the pressures that young people face today.
Friends described the twins as affectionate and ordinary classmates who played with objects near their home on Facetos street. An improvised memorial included candles, a branch cut from a tree, and two red hearts tied with ribbons, arranged at the building entrance. A child-friendly book titled The Magic of a Midsummer Night, a fantasy novel by Maite Carranza, was placed there as a symbolic tribute by some visitors. The memorial space remained a place for shared remembrance as neighbors lit candles and offered prayers.
As the community observed the official day of mourning declared by the City Council, the prevailing sentiment was one of shock and solemn reflection. Many described the loss as something unimaginable, mourning a pair of girls who had thrived in a welcoming environment in Spain since arriving from Russia in 2018.
The family’s social circle described a close-knit household, with the father Igor and mother Olga maintaining strong ties and facing a difficult path ahead. The parents, who had joined the family in Spain, integrated their children into La Ería school with minimal language barriers, building friendships and proceeding with daily routines. Investigators continue to review all possibilities, including the potential for school-related harassment, though current indications favor a broader context in which the twins felt overwhelmed by dark thoughts rather than direct external aggression.
Early on Friday morning, the sisters left for school with their backpacks but veered away from their usual route. They returned home briefly or hid on the stairs before continuing to the top floor, which is three stories above their residence, and where police later recovered their belongings, including backpacks near the sixth-floor level.
Shortly after nine, Anastasia and Alexandra leapt from the window, dying at once. A neighbor who witnessed the discovery alerted the authorities, and police arrived within minutes. The girls were subsequently transported to a forensic institute for autopsy, while a family friend accompanied the younger brother, ten-year-old Igor, to a relative’s home as investigators gathered the remaining details of the case.
Authorities dispatched specialists in psychological support to assist the family at HUCA and to help the school community cope with the profound shock. The incident underscored the pain endured by relatives, friends, teachers, and classmates who are grappling with the sudden loss of two young lives.