This is the harrowing moment a five-year-old girl is snatched off the street by two men – one allegedly a convicted paedophile and the other a thief – in broad daylight before she was stabbed to death.

The incident took place in the city of Kostroma, which sits on the River Volga and is the capital of the Kostroma Oblast region, in western Russia, when the young girl, who has not been named, was kidnapped in broad daylight while walking near her home to go and look at a Christmas tree.

Local media outlet Life reported that the two men were in a relationship with each other and that one of them, who has been named as Denis Gerasimov, 44, had previously been convicted of paedophilia and producing child pornography before being released from prison in March last year.

The other alleged child murderer has been named as 25-year-old Vadim Belyakov, who has a prior conviction for theft, still according to Life.

A first piece of footage shows the moment the two men can be seen hurrying away, with one of the men carrying the girl in his arms.

It does not seem to matter that there are witnesses and that the kidnapping is taking place in broad daylight, and no one is seen in the footage intervening to stop them.

A second piece of footage shows an apartment in which a folded-out couch appears to be covered in blood stains. This is allegedly where the young girl was stabbed to death by the two men.

The footage was released by the Russian authorities, who said the case is being investigated and that the men’s preventive custody is being judicially requested.

The Russian authorities also said that immediately after the girl was taken, a search was launched, with the two men quickly being found.

They allegedly confessed to murdering the young child, and her body was found in a bedroom in the residence.