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Serial Killers of Russia: Case Files from the World's Deadliest Nation
For fans of Christopher Berry-Dee’s Talking with Serial Killers series, this chilling new book explores the dark heart of Russia. For decades, it has been assumed that the United States of America was the serial killer capital of the world. Now, criminologists believe that Russia (and previously the Soviet Union) has been, secretly, the biggest home of serial killers for almost a century. In Serial Killers of Russia , bestselling true crime author Wensley Clarkson reveals the inside stories and gruesome details behind the country’s most notorious and previously unknown murderers. Using information from a vast range of new and archive sources, Clarkson tells stories of the dangerous, the devious and the truly shocking, and tackles why the nation has become a breeding ground for humanity’s most evil. These are the most horrifying cases from the darkest corners of Russia.
320 pages, Paperback
Published July 13, 2021
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211 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 15, 2021
Really fascinating. Wensley Clarkson has a brilliant knack of constructing a story from a true crime account and painting a picture of the history of the killer in minute detail. I hadn't heard of all of these serial killers which was great for me (I had felt there were no serial killers left to shock me anymore...) and some of the accounts were truly horrific. It'll certainly send me down a true crime rabbit hole over Christmas I think. Really enjoyable and informative.
August 28, 2021
I've read a few books similar to this and they haven't been written as well as this one. It is graphic, the serial killers in it are highly disturbing and unsettling so trigger warnings for that.
July 2, 2021
I was very excited to read this book when it arrived on my doorstep. It’s written in such an accessible and easy way, they’re written more as individual stories of the serial killers upbringing, first kill, how they got to where they were, their eventual capture etc and I think that made it a lot nicer to read because it didn’t feel like I was being bombarded with facts as can sometimes be in non fiction.
The author did not shy away from the grisly bits so if you have a weak stomach I wouldn’t recommend this book but as they highlighted in the introduction it’s necessary because we shouldn’t forget and brush over the awful crimes these people committed and how they would have affected the victims and also the victims loved ones.
The fact this book focused on serial killers in Russia as well was another thing that made me want to read this book, so often we see American and western criminals being plastered all over the papers and documentaries being made of them and reading about these killers (most of which I had never heard of before) made the book all the more interesting especially hearing how awful the crimes were and also how long they got away with it for because of the failures in the Russian authorities.
Overall if true crime is something you’re interested in then I 1000% would recommend this book.
Thankyou so much to Welbeck Publishing group for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
The author did not shy away from the grisly bits so if you have a weak stomach I wouldn’t recommend this book but as they highlighted in the introduction it’s necessary because we shouldn’t forget and brush over the awful crimes these people committed and how they would have affected the victims and also the victims loved ones.
The fact this book focused on serial killers in Russia as well was another thing that made me want to read this book, so often we see American and western criminals being plastered all over the papers and documentaries being made of them and reading about these killers (most of which I had never heard of before) made the book all the more interesting especially hearing how awful the crimes were and also how long they got away with it for because of the failures in the Russian authorities.
Overall if true crime is something you’re interested in then I 1000% would recommend this book.
Thankyou so much to Welbeck Publishing group for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
June 5, 2021
Gruesome! Not for the faint hearted.
March 30, 2023
#SerialKillersofRussia – Wensley Clarkson
#Welbeck (2021)
For decades it has been widely accepted that the USA is the breeding ground of serial killers, especially since a USSR Politburo member boldly declared in 1988: ‘There are no serial killers here. Serial killers are an American invention, a Western decadence that could never exist in our motherland.’ The author of this book, a true crime writer with more than four decades of experience in the field, set out to prove this notion wrong.
A word of caution: content may be upsetting to sensitive readers. The justification therefor is found in the dedication: ‘Many of the scenes in this book are extremely graphic because it is essential not to sanitize the violence in order to convey the brutal reality of being a serial killer’s victim.’
The case discussions commence as early as 1964, when an awkward young man’s pathological tendencies were awakened by witnessing a pedestrian killed by an intoxicated driver. He would proceed by sexually assaulting and murdering an undisclosed number of young boys during the next twenty years, arrogantly filming his crimes.
Tamara Ivanyutina grew up in a household where humans were regarded as vermin, worthy to be exterminated. Her parents did not hesitate to poison a neighbour who failed to adhere to their requests to turn down the volume of his television set and it is thus no surprise that Tamara would become a serial killer, using poison as her weapon of choice.
Two of the most gruesome killers depicted in the book are Andrei Chikatilo and Nikolai Dzhumagaliev. Chikatilo referred to himself as a freak of nature after murdering 53 victims by stabbing them as many as 46 times each, biting off their tongues and removing their eyeballs. Dzhumagaliev regarded himself as a hunter, killing when running out of human flesh to eat. He always killed with a knife after stalking his victims like a true predator, looking all the more terrifying because of his metal dentures. To add insult to injury, he escaped from incarceration in 2015 and was, at the time of the writing of this novel, still at large.
Other cases include a killer claiming to be acting on the instructions of a higher force, telepathic in nature; a police officer who raped and killed at least 82 women; an unholy trinity (mother, son and dog) cooking and eating their victims; an innocent looking blonde lady who brutally slayed 17 elderly victims and a 68-year-old who killed her 79-year-old friend as a final victim.
The attentive reader will observe that many of the cases discussed, involve cannibalism. The reason is given at the onset: In the aftermath of World War II the country was trapped in a tragic famine. Cannibalism became a tool of survival and eroded the lines between the morally abhorrent and the socially acceptable. ‘Tens of thousands of people were arrested for cannibalism during the first three years of the 1940’s.’ (9)
The author’s research went beyond the cases themselves; attempting to establish why such horrific events received little to no international coverage. His findings are convincing and include the secrecy, denial and media control that existed in the USSR, the absence of a large-scale computer based database and CCTV and the sad reality that funding for Post Mortem-examinations were limited in an attempt to cover up illicit government sanctioned murders – providing the ideal hunting ground for human predators.
The book is similar to the author’s 2022 publication ‘Serial killers of Mexico’ and will appeal to readers interested in true crime publications, especially since the author’s extensive research includes the childhood and social background of the murderers. It goes beyond empty sensationalism, instead searching for motivation and triggers, but never seeking justification for the abysmal crimes committed by the subjects.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek
#Welbeck (2021)
For decades it has been widely accepted that the USA is the breeding ground of serial killers, especially since a USSR Politburo member boldly declared in 1988: ‘There are no serial killers here. Serial killers are an American invention, a Western decadence that could never exist in our motherland.’ The author of this book, a true crime writer with more than four decades of experience in the field, set out to prove this notion wrong.
A word of caution: content may be upsetting to sensitive readers. The justification therefor is found in the dedication: ‘Many of the scenes in this book are extremely graphic because it is essential not to sanitize the violence in order to convey the brutal reality of being a serial killer’s victim.’
The case discussions commence as early as 1964, when an awkward young man’s pathological tendencies were awakened by witnessing a pedestrian killed by an intoxicated driver. He would proceed by sexually assaulting and murdering an undisclosed number of young boys during the next twenty years, arrogantly filming his crimes.
Tamara Ivanyutina grew up in a household where humans were regarded as vermin, worthy to be exterminated. Her parents did not hesitate to poison a neighbour who failed to adhere to their requests to turn down the volume of his television set and it is thus no surprise that Tamara would become a serial killer, using poison as her weapon of choice.
Two of the most gruesome killers depicted in the book are Andrei Chikatilo and Nikolai Dzhumagaliev. Chikatilo referred to himself as a freak of nature after murdering 53 victims by stabbing them as many as 46 times each, biting off their tongues and removing their eyeballs. Dzhumagaliev regarded himself as a hunter, killing when running out of human flesh to eat. He always killed with a knife after stalking his victims like a true predator, looking all the more terrifying because of his metal dentures. To add insult to injury, he escaped from incarceration in 2015 and was, at the time of the writing of this novel, still at large.
Other cases include a killer claiming to be acting on the instructions of a higher force, telepathic in nature; a police officer who raped and killed at least 82 women; an unholy trinity (mother, son and dog) cooking and eating their victims; an innocent looking blonde lady who brutally slayed 17 elderly victims and a 68-year-old who killed her 79-year-old friend as a final victim.
The attentive reader will observe that many of the cases discussed, involve cannibalism. The reason is given at the onset: In the aftermath of World War II the country was trapped in a tragic famine. Cannibalism became a tool of survival and eroded the lines between the morally abhorrent and the socially acceptable. ‘Tens of thousands of people were arrested for cannibalism during the first three years of the 1940’s.’ (9)
The author’s research went beyond the cases themselves; attempting to establish why such horrific events received little to no international coverage. His findings are convincing and include the secrecy, denial and media control that existed in the USSR, the absence of a large-scale computer based database and CCTV and the sad reality that funding for Post Mortem-examinations were limited in an attempt to cover up illicit government sanctioned murders – providing the ideal hunting ground for human predators.
The book is similar to the author’s 2022 publication ‘Serial killers of Mexico’ and will appeal to readers interested in true crime publications, especially since the author’s extensive research includes the childhood and social background of the murderers. It goes beyond empty sensationalism, instead searching for motivation and triggers, but never seeking justification for the abysmal crimes committed by the subjects.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek
December 21, 2021
I could not stop reading this book! At one point I even found myself hushing my uber driver so I could continue reading in peace. It is so well written with such attention to detail about what it was that made the different serial killers tick. Gruesome but so insightful.
July 12, 2021
This book is so interesting to read, as it doesn't just tell the details of the crimes and those who committed them. Clarkson also discusses how the attitudes of the Soviet Union created a breeding ground for serial killers, from how they refused to accept their existence as 'serial killers are a western problem that do not exist in the Soviet Union' and their attitudes towards those who are typically the victims of these killers. If children or teens were murdered they must have run away, a raped woman was viewed and judged as a prostitute, crimes of police officers were covered up.
Some of these crimes are set after the fall of the Soviet Union, but shows how the attitudes the people accepted and conformed to made it far easier for serial killers to hide in the midst of cities.
The crimes are described in vivid detail and are not for the faint of heart, but this just adds to the gripping nature of this book and the horror of the crimes that were carried out.
Some of these crimes are set after the fall of the Soviet Union, but shows how the attitudes the people accepted and conformed to made it far easier for serial killers to hide in the midst of cities.
The crimes are described in vivid detail and are not for the faint of heart, but this just adds to the gripping nature of this book and the horror of the crimes that were carried out.
April 8, 2022
Very simplistically written easy to read. Yet lacks a deeper analysis of the killers as people more discriptive then investigative
December 6, 2022
Not a bad read, preferred Mexico
November 5, 2023
This was quite interesting, there were a few cases I did not know about. I liked the story-oriented style and the fact that the author also went into the context that created these people and that made so hard for them to be caught. While very gruesome, it never feels like torture porn, especially when sexual violence is involved, so there's that.
One issue I have is related to the fact that the line between the USSR and the countries that sprang out of it is blurry at times. Also the book suggests that the Kazakh killer may have escaped, but what I found online is that someone confessed to launching the rumor and got caught. Now I wonder whether other details were made more dramatic for shock value.
As for the audiobook, I liked the narrator, but he couldn't pronounce a Slavic name to save his life. Also, at times he chose to read parts of interviews with some weird Russian accent. Keep it British my dude, we get it, the dude's Russian.
If interested in true crime, this is pretty good though, worth checking out.
One issue I have is related to the fact that the line between the USSR and the countries that sprang out of it is blurry at times. Also the book suggests that the Kazakh killer may have escaped, but what I found online is that someone confessed to launching the rumor and got caught. Now I wonder whether other details were made more dramatic for shock value.
As for the audiobook, I liked the narrator, but he couldn't pronounce a Slavic name to save his life. Also, at times he chose to read parts of interviews with some weird Russian accent. Keep it British my dude, we get it, the dude's Russian.
If interested in true crime, this is pretty good though, worth checking out.
December 7, 2023
This book was really interesting! I like how it involved Male and Female killers, what happened in their childhoods and how this probably added to the reasons for their later actions. One aspect I found very interesting and actually sad and shocking at the same time, is that polices indifference to the victims added immensely to the killers going on for way too long. In some cases decades.
The Epilogue was thought provoking and very informative.
I absolutely recommend this book if you are true crime interested.
Also, yes, it was gruesome at times, but not in a way that made it sound "extra" for dramatic purposes. (in my opinion) some ppl here in the comments act as if this book is not a serial killer book, if you can not stomach it, don't buy a book about the topic, duh.
The Epilogue was thought provoking and very informative.
I absolutely recommend this book if you are true crime interested.
Also, yes, it was gruesome at times, but not in a way that made it sound "extra" for dramatic purposes. (in my opinion) some ppl here in the comments act as if this book is not a serial killer book, if you can not stomach it, don't buy a book about the topic, duh.
January 14, 2024
It was really interesting, many of these cases were new to me so it felt very educational and fresh. I did like the way that it was written, yes there were a few embellishments and assumptions, but it helped the book to flow nicely. The only thing I did find jarring was the tone the author had when discussing Russia. I appreciate context was needed to try and explain why some of these atrocities had happened, and yes the conditions in which they lived did contribute to this, but at times it felt like the author was relishing the chance to comment on Russia, communism and foreign politics and this did become a little bit more prominent than I felt necessary.
June 30, 2024
Moderately interesting, this book explored nine cases of multiple murder in the Soviet Union and subsequent states, and aimed to provide insight into the social and political context which led to these grim killers committing their crimes (and getting away with them for some time). It succeeded to some extent but I ended up feeling the crimes had been outlined with a touch too little supportive information or exploitation of the specifics of why or how serial killers in the USSR and former republics etc. came to be. It just felt relentlessly bleak and uncomfortable to be reading in an objective manner about cannibalism, rape, mental illness and state failings.
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April 7, 2024
Grammatical quibbles, ie calling a pair of previously established metal false teeth as "enamel white teeth"
And some narrative ones too such as "the only children he didn't want to send to heaven" (feels like weird phrasing) and describing someone "shutting her eyes tight to play dead"
OR saying that a female serial killer didnt get caught for so long because of her "feminine intuition"
Interesting book but i have complaints with the narrative, especially from a well established author like Wensley Clarkson
And some narrative ones too such as "the only children he didn't want to send to heaven" (feels like weird phrasing) and describing someone "shutting her eyes tight to play dead"
OR saying that a female serial killer didnt get caught for so long because of her "feminine intuition"
Interesting book but i have complaints with the narrative, especially from a well established author like Wensley Clarkson
January 9, 2023
The author went into detail on the lives, backgrounds, and crimes of each killer, which made for a reasonably interesting read. However, this book should not have been published. Not due to dark/graphic content or anything but the numerous spag errors and really strange sentencing/paragraphing choices that just made it hard to read in places.
July 17, 2021
Fascinating read, makes me wonder bow many serial killers in russia they still have due to their political past, history and police force issues. Surely they are not the only place that have seen this occur recently or still. Madness!
April 13, 2022
Interesting book about the Serial killers in Russia that were caught and punished. Most of the killers went for years without even a hint of suspicion. This book dealt with male and female Serial killers.
Read
May 28, 2024DNF on account of my being unable to process and stomach the violence the victims suffered. Got to almost the end p193. It is very violent. It is however journalistic in style and would recommend anything else written by Wensley Clarkson on this premise alone.
June 9, 2021
Loved it
August 7, 2021
Fascinating. But with some truly twisted shit.
June 28, 2022
Fascinating book on some brutal Soviet murders.
September 21, 2022
An extremely hard book to read in terms of context but the writing is fantastic. The backstory of each killer is a new side to criminal books not often seen.
December 4, 2022
Extremely gruesome, even for true crime.
March 15, 2025
Terrifying but so well written, I learnt so much from this book,
August 27, 2025
"Genetics loads the gun, their personality and psychology aim it, and their experiences pull the trigger" - Jim Clemente, FBI serial killer profiler
December 18, 2023
I love serial killers. And by that what I really mean is I love learning about serial killers, the psychological aspect, and how they become serial killers.
This book was fascinating and very disturbing. All of the people in this book did awful things, but some were definitely on a different level. Andrei Chikatilo, Anatoly Onoprienko, Mikael Popkov, and Alexander Nikolayevich Spesivtsev & his mother Lyudmila Spesivtseva were the ones that stood out most for me. My face was rotating from shocked, to disgusted, to horrified, and back to shocked.
The audiobook narrator was great!
This book was fascinating and very disturbing. All of the people in this book did awful things, but some were definitely on a different level. Andrei Chikatilo, Anatoly Onoprienko, Mikael Popkov, and Alexander Nikolayevich Spesivtsev & his mother Lyudmila Spesivtseva were the ones that stood out most for me. My face was rotating from shocked, to disgusted, to horrified, and back to shocked.
The audiobook narrator was great!
November 13, 2021
Fascinating read from start to finish. Clarkson does a great job in not sparing any of the grisly details, and as a regular consumer of true crime non-fiction, managed to capture and keep my attention throughout. The inclusion of some of the "lesser-known" serial killers from the country really sealed Serial Killers of Russia as one that I will remember for a long time, prompting plenty of further research going forward.
October 15, 2021
Very interesting to read and Clarkson clearly has a deep understanding of the topic. Only 3 stars due to the repetitive nature of the writing, names and facts were repeated constantly and it got kind of tedious, there were also quite a few spelling mistakes, one being the name of the serial killer which was a bit unsettling.
August 26, 2021
3 & a half stars. Interesting, disturbing & I now need to read something less gory.
May 27, 2023
i’m a big fan of sk books that feature killers i don’t know much about and this had that :-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews