Russian women stuck in coronavirus lockdown hell as abuse surges

Ineta Akhtyamova's husband flew into a rage in late April, about a month into Moscow's coronavirus lockdown. She was preparing a meal in the small apartment she shares with her partner when he exploded, calling her names, hitting her and shouting at her to get out. 'So off I went. I just could not take it anymore,' said Akhtyamova, a 50-year-old singer who lost her income due to confinement restrictions. 'I'm bad if I stay quiet. I'm bad if I talk. I'm bad if I make soup. I'm bad if I cook potatoes,' she told AFP. When her partner hit her before, she would run to friends. This time she had nowhere to go. Friends were reluctant to take her in over fears of coronavirus infection, and two women's shelters turned her away because of Moscow's city-wide quarantine.