In Oviedo this Friday morning, a quiet street and the high-rise blocks around Facetos woke to a devastating scene. It was just after nine when the anguished cries of a father, Igor Zuev, pierced through windows and announced that a family tragedy had struck the La Ería neighborhood. Alexandra and Anastasia, twelve-year-old twins born in Russia who had become familiar figures in their community, perished after jumping from the sixth-floor landing of their building. While investigators probe the exact sequence of events, police have ruled out third-party involvement in the incident. The town responded with two days of mourning and a pause to the Ascension festivities amid the shock that gripped the city.
At school and within the circle of their friends, the refrain was clear: the idea of such an event simply could not be true. The day carried a heaviness that found its echo in every classroom and corridor.
The family arrived in Asturias about five years ago, seeking safety from political upheavals back home. The father has publicly expressed opposition to certain political figures on social networks and is known in the local Ukrainian-Asturian community for supporting demonstrations that align with those views.
The couple settled in La Ería and supported a life of hard work. They raised three children, including a ten-year-old son. The twins were doted on; the parents monitored their education closely, determined to keep them progressing well and to intervene if their grades began to slip.
Within Ería’s school, Alexandra and Anastasia were well integrated. Staff describe a close-knit group of friends and a reputation for solid academic performance. The twins often dressed alike and shared many outfits, a detail their parents used to distinguish them. They had plans for the end of the school year and anticipated a class trip scheduled for the following Tuesday.
What happened inside the family home remains unclear. The sisters lived at Facetos 47, on the fourth floor. Investigators are exploring why the girls would have left earlier than their younger brother, who was due to go to a training center with their father. It appears the sisters may have remained hidden two floors above, near the sixth-floor landing; authorities later recovered backpacks from that area.
Between nine and nine ten, as the morning classes began, witnesses say a window was opened and the sisters stepped into the air, dropping into an inner patio that lay between the Facetos and Alejandro Casona streets. A passerby notified the police, and soon after, neighbors observed officers converging on the scene from the nearby Buenavista station. The father’s cries soon followed, echoing through the neighborhood.
Igor Zuev did his best to endure the scene as he stood in the street. Some neighbors saw him momentarily in distress, while others remember glimpses of the mother at the window. The high-rise setting and the unusual quiet of the area contributed to a swirl of speculation among onlookers, as did the construction activity nearby where masons worked at a site close to Facetos.
The mayor of the city, Alfredo Canteli, arrived with council members to oversee the unfolding events. The information available at the time was limited, and officials confirmed the two children were Russian nationals who had died in the incident.
As authorities moved in to manage the scene, the crowd of journalists grew, and the mayor announced two days of mourning and a suspension of musical activities that weekend. The local election campaign process for Yükseliş was also paused in light of the tragedy.
Inside the family portal, the father’s initial shock gradually gave way to a more profound sense of loss. Olga, the mother, sat frozen in a chair, surrounded by police and a team of psychologists as investigators gathered evidence and spoke to family members.
After the police chief’s briefing, inspector Pedro Aguado clarified key details: the two girls were twins, aged twelve, and there was no evidence of third-party intervention. The information helped quell some early confusion surrounding the event.
Later, school officials heard reports that national police officers had been at headquarters discussing bullying, and the focus shifted to the twins, who were indeed Alexandra and Anastasia. The community reacted with disbelief. Colleagues and neighbors spoke of two ordinary girls who faced a shocking crisis beyond what anyone could have anticipated.
By late morning, the parents were transported to the Asturian Central University Hospital for medical evaluation, while the bodies were sent to the Forensic Medicine Anatomy Institute for autopsy. The National Police stated they would continue their investigation to clarify the facts, and El Mundo reported that police searched the home, where some suicide sketches and other related material were found in various drawers and files [citation: El Mundo].