Valeriya Beseda-Kalinochkina, a 34-year-old tattoo and make-up artist from Kirov, Russia, has ignited fierce backlash online after she posted photos enjoying a lavish holiday in the Maldives just weeks after burying her husband, a mercenary who died fighting for one of Vladimir Putin's private armies in Africa.
The widow, who shared tearful messages mourning her husband's death on Instagram, was later seen in a series of bikini-clad holiday snaps, sparking accusations of being heartless, attention-seeking and even speculation that she had a sugar daddy. Yet according to Beseda herself, the reality is far more complex — and painfully human.
