Svetlana Sanarova, 64, had been walking home from a local supermarket in the city of Novokuznetsk when she noticed a toddler dangling from a second storey window of a local building.
Thinking quickly, Ms Sanarova dropped her shopping bags and rushed to the young boy’s aid with her arms stretched out and ready for impact.
Thankfully, she arrived just in time.
“I thought, if I didn’t catch him, he would crash before my eyes,” said Sanarova, according to East2West news service.
“I needed to run and catch, or it would be much worse. He turned out to be rather heavy, but I did not think about the risk at that moment.”
The toddler’s father quickly ran downstairs and thanked his son’s saviour, but did not ask her name. The heroic grandmother then promptly left the scene and sat on a nearby bench to collect her thoughts.
After six days of social media searching, Ms Sanarova was identified and met with the toddler’s parents.
The toddler’s father revealed that he thought that his wife was looking after the young boy, when she had in fact gone to get a bottle for one of their other children. The curious toddler then headed for the window and found himself in an extremely dangerous position.
As a reward for her impeccable timing and bravery, the toddler’s father attempted to give Ms Sanarova 1,000 Russian rubles, but the grandmother refused to accept the money and took satisfaction from the knowledge that the young boy was OK.
“And then I worried about what happened to him, until I read in the newspaper that he got away with only minor bruises.”
Eventually, the toddler’s grateful father managed to hide some money in Ms Sanarova’s bag.
Although flattered, the stoic grandmother was quick to remind the man, “I don’t need it.”
