A Russian woman seeking love on the internet was beheaded on her first date with a new man she met online, reports Daily Mail.

Kristina Medvedeva, a shop assistant in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, described her relationship status as 'actively searching' on one social media site.

The 22-year-old was known to be active on at least one dating website, but police have not said if they have been able to track the man she was with from her internet history.

Her badly mutilated body was found on the shore of a lake close to a residential area called Michurinsky on the outskirts of Ekaterinburg, Russia's fourth city.

Her head was almost totally severed, said police. The macabre discovery was three days after she was last seen and last online.

Police said there was no evidence that she had been raped. She had moved from her provincial hometown Talitsa in search of love and a new life.

She shared a flat with a girlfriend, and it is known she had gone on a first date with a stranger on 24 July, the day she was murdered.

Her tragic death was being highlighted by the Russian media today as evidence of concern over the lack of security for women in using online dating.

A formal murder probe has been launched by police.