This nursery school teacher and her twin boys aged four have been found dead and covered in blood in their burned-out flat in Russia and investigators determined that the fire was started in a bid to cover up the murders.

The mum had recently broken up with her husband and had a new boyfriend, and investigators subsequently arrested an unnamed 35-year-old man believed to be the mum’s new partner on the outskirts of the Russian city of Kirovgrad, located in the region of Sverdlovsk Oblast, according to local media outlet NTV.

The mum, a local nursery school teacher named Polina Titova, 36, in local media reports, was found dead by firefighters tackling the blaze at the flat located on Central Boulevard.

The bodies of her two young children, who have not been named but who were twins and four years old, were also found. All three bodies were reportedly found covered in blood.

Polina had reportedly recently broken up with her husband, name not disclosed, with Russian media sites reporting that her new partner is from the nearby city of Nizhny Tagil.

Neighbours heard noises on the other side of the wall on the eve of the carnage, according to media outlet E1.

It took three engines and 10 firefighters to put out the fire, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

After the fire was extinguished, the police reportedly set up roadblocks around the city, eventually arresting the new boyfriend as he was trying to leave town.

It is currently unclear if the suspect has been charged.

The investigation is ongoing.