Russian Actress Aleksandr Drozd­ova Sentenced to Community Service for Accidental Knife Wound to Cohabitant

A St. Petersburg district court has sentenced actress Aleksandr Drozd­ova of the Comedy Theater to 200 hours of community service following the knife wounding of her cohabitant, actor Ilya Del, on April 12, 2025. The court initially charged Drozd­ova under provisions for intentional grievous bodily harm, but ultimately reclassified the offense as negligent harm after forensic evidence and expert analysis supported the defense's account of events.

According to expert testimony presented during trial, the injury occurred when Del grabbed Drozd­ova's arms while she was holding a knife, pulled toward himself, and both fell to the ground. During this fall, the knife struck Del's chest. The court determined that the prosecution failed to provide evidence of Drozd­ova's direct intent to harm, and expert findings corroborated the defense's narrative. The victim's injuries were consistent with an accidental occurrence rather than intentional violence.

Del, who was treated for the chest wound and later suffered a spinal fracture in an unrelated fall from a window in September 2025, insisted that the injury was accidental. This reconciliation between the two parties led to Drozd­ova's release from the prescribed punishment in accordance with Russian law provisions for cases involving victim-offender settlement. During court proceedings, the couple reportedly professed their love for one another. Del is employed as an actor with the Lensovet Theater, while Drozd­ova works with the Comedy Theater. The knife used in the incident was ordered destroyed by the court.