A young Russian woman is under investigation for injuring a would-be rapist in self-defence.

Daria Ageniy, 19, stabbed the man after he apparently attacked her in the town of Tuapse in southern Russia.

According to Daria, she escorted a group of children to a summer camp in the city in 2017.

After she’d taken the children to the camp and handed them over to staff, she decided to take walk around the city.

"When it got dark, I found myself in a deserted backstreet. I heard somebody approaching me from behind and I turned around. I saw a man and realised that it wasn’t just a passerby but that he was following me.

"I was scared and quietly pulled a little knife I use for sharpening pencils out of my handbag.

"The stranger caught up with me and started asking me questions before grabbing my clothes and pressing me against a fence.

"I started to scream while he was trying to tear my knickers off me. Then he used one hand to cover my mouth.

"When he pulled my underwear down, I started stabbing him with my knife. I meant to stab him in his leg. After that he let go of me and fled the scene."

The following morning Daria returned home to the city of Khimki north of Moscow and tried to forget about the incident, but a month and a half later she was arrested by the police and taken to Tuapse.

It turned out that Daria's attacker, Igor Storozhev, 38, sought medical help after being stabbed.

He was hospitalised with two knife wounds to his stomach and doctors reported it to the police.

While being questioned by police, Storozhev, who’s married with a child, said he’d been attacked in the street by a young woman.

According to his version, he was drunk and on his way home after partying with his friends when Daria came up to him in the street and asked about a place to spend the night.

He offered to walk her to a hostel and she accepted.

On the way he read poetry to her, Storozhev said.

He reportedly walked Daria to a hostel and when she was about to leave him, he asked her to stay a bit longer and took her hand.

According to Storozhev, she started screaming and he let go of her hand.

He then went home and, on his way, realised he was wounded in the stomach.

Daria was charged with intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm.

She faces up to nine years in prison if found guilty.

 According to her lawyer, Daria made a mistake when she didn’t report the attempted rape to police.

The investigation continues.