A mother of a large family from the Sverdlovsk region accused her ex-husband of beatings on the show "Male/Female" on Channel One.

      Mother of a large family Vilena Shchelkonogova from Kamensk‑Uralsky accused her ex‑husband Roman of subjecting the family to harsh conditions, failing to provide financial support and of cruel treatment that could have led to their eldest son's disability. She appeared on the program "Men and Women" on Channel One.

      According to Vilena, her former husband beat her, including during her pregnancies, threatened her with a knife and tried to strangle her.

      "He threw me out into the entranceway after my cesarean section and beat me in front of the children," she said during the program.

      The man also does not pay child support; his debt amounts to about 526,000 rubles. The Sverdlovsk resident herself intends to have her ex‑husband deprived of parental rights, to recover the child support arrears and to force him to renounce his share in the apartment purchased with maternity capital in order to improve the children's housing conditions.

      Roman denies the violence, admitting to "a couple of slaps" and calling the episodes with the knife and strangulation "fabrications." He also said that he pays child support and that the debt is "errors by the bailiff." During the program he promised to pay 50,000 rubles a month, to give up his share in the apartment and to take the child with a disability to live with him.

      Medical experts in the studio confirmed that the eldest son has been diagnosed with sensorimotor alalia, organic brain damage and hyperactivity, and that maternal trauma during pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of such conditions. Final conclusions about whether crimes were committed, as well as about the parents' rights regarding the children, can be made as part of an official investigation and court proceedings. On air, participants were reminded that guardianship authorities, investigative bodies and courts must assess the children's living conditions, the amount of child support arrears and the parties' arguments about possible domestic violence, reports Ura.Ru.