WARNING: This story contains graphic content and images.

This man dug up 29 dead children before mummifying them and turning their corpses into dolls in the flat he shared with his oblivious parents.

Anatoly Moskvin, 52, admitted to the horrific crimes in court, where he told distraught parents: “You abandoned your girls, I brought them home and warmed them up.”

The Russian man mummified the dead children and dressed them in stockings, girls clothing and knee length boots to make them look like dolls, applying lipstick and make-up to their faces.

In another grisly twist, he wedged music boxes inside their rib cages.

Moskvin also marked the birthdays of each of his dead victims in his bedroom.

By the time he was detained by police, Moskvin had kept one of his young girl’s remains for nine years.

The little girl’s mother, Natalia Chardymova, 46, did not realise on her regular visits to her daughter’s gravesite that the coffin was empty.

Moskvin confessed to 44 counts of abusing the graves and corpses of girls aged three to 12 in 2013.

However he was ruled to have schizophrenia and could not stand trial, and was sent to a secure psychiatric clinic.

The historian — described in court as a “genius”, who was the author of various scientific papers — gave various explanations for his deeply disturbing behaviour.

Moskvin told his interrogators he was waiting for science to find ways for these girls to live again, as well as wanting to be an expert in making mummies.

Now a court is due to rule on an official request from psychiatrists to release him from a secure hospital — and continue his treatment at the home where he kept “my girls”.

But Ms Chardymova is furious he is being considered for release.

The corpse of her daughter, Olga, was one of the 29 girls he dug up and stole from graveyards — all found at the flat he shared with his parents in the large city of Nizhny Novgorod, western Russia.

She had been murdered aged ten in 2002.

Since his conviction, psychiatrists have passed a recommendation to the court every six months to keep him locked up.

But this has now changed due to what they claim is progress in his treatment.

Russian courts are known to follow the recommendations of experts, sparking fear over his release, which could come as soon as this week.

Ms Chardymova, who now has a son aged nine, said she was appalled that Moskvin could be freed.

“This creature brought fear, terror and panic into my (life),” she said.

“I shudder to think that he will have freedom to go where he wants.

“Neither my family nor the families of the other victims will be able to sleep peacefully.

“He needs to be kept under surveillance.

“I insist on a life sentence. Only under medical supervision, without the right of free movement.”

Moskvin’s mum Elvira, then 76, told police after he was arrested: “We saw these dolls but we did not suspect there were dead bodies inside.

“We thought it was his hobby to make such big dolls and did not see anything wrong with it.”