From Russia with Fear

Crimes committed by Russian SVO veterans are no longer confined to Russia. From an armed threat in Minsk to murders, rapes, and attacks on families in Belgorod, Krasnoyarsk, and Kamchatka, this episode exposes how former fighters with criminal pasts return from the war and unleash violence on civilians — often with a sense of impunity.

A former Russian police officer, Yevgeny Rodionov, was sentenced in Petrozavodsk for the brutal murder of Moscow lawyer Irina Ivachyova. After an evening of apparent reconciliation, he strangled her, burned her body, and attempted to flee. Despite the severity of the crime, the court handed down a sentence of less than ten years in a maximum-security colony. This episode also examines how convicted killers in Russia increasingly avoid punishment by signing contracts to fight in the war, leaving victims’ families without justice.

Popular blogger Yulia Burtseva, who lived in Italy, died in Moscow after undergoing injectable buttock augmentation at a private clinic. The procedure was performed by a 26-year-old self-taught cosmetologist without medical education. According to investigators, Burtseva developed an anaphylactic shock shortly after the injections and could not be saved. The case has sparked renewed attention to the dangers of illegal cosmetic procedures and unlicensed practitioners in Russia.

The bodies of two young women murdered by the so-called Bodorodsk maniac have been found near Noginsk — thanks to testimony from his nine-year-old son. Investigators say Dmitry Artamoshin used his child as bait to lure nannies, drugging, abusing, and killing his victims. The case reveals years of violence, manipulation, and terror hidden behind the image of a caring single father, and raises fears that the true number of victims may be far higher.

Convicted criminals sent to war are returning home — and unleashing violence on civilians. Torture, rape, murder, and impunity follow the SVO veterans back to Russian cities. This episode investigates how pardons, early releases, and war contracts have turned former inmates into a growing threat inside Russia.

Famous Russian singer Larisa Dolina is being forcibly evicted from a luxury five-room apartment in Moscow’s prestigious Khamovniki district. After a year-and-a-half-long legal battle involving fraud, conflicting court rulings, and a Supreme Court decision, the Moscow City Court ordered Dolina to vacate the property within days. Bailiffs may intervene if the court order is ignored. This episode breaks down the case, the court’s decision, and what comes next for both sides.

Two brutal domestic murders in Russia expose a disturbing pattern. In Kazan, Dinara Mingaliev strangled his wife and nearly killed their three-year-old son, breaking both of the child’s arms. In Volgograd, Sergey Orlov shot and dismembered his former wife over a minor household dispute. Both men now seek to avoid long prison sentences by signing military contracts and going to the war zone. These cases reveal how extreme violence against women is increasingly followed by impunity under the cover of war.

Former and active participants of Russia’s so-called Special Military Operation are repeatedly escaping real punishment for brutal crimes. In this episode, we расскаount cases of murder, arson, drunk driving, and domestic violence committed by SVO veterans — including repeat offenders released from prison and sent to war. Courts reduce sentences, investigations are closed, and victims’ families are left without justice. How participation in the war has become a shield from responsibility — in this episode of Nightmare of the Day.

A Russian military court has sentenced contract soldier Dmitry Stenkin to life in prison for the murder of 41-year-old Olesya Larina, a mother of four, and the attempted abduction of her children. Armed and intoxicated, the former convict broke into a family home in the village of Giryi in the Kursk region, shot the woman after she resisted rape, and critically wounded her husband. This episode examines the crime, the court ruling, eyewitness testimonies, and the growing wave of violence committed by former prisoners and returning soldiers from the war.

In Russia’s Kemerovo region, a 12-year-old boy escapes from his own home after months of brutal abuse by his mother and her partner. With broken legs, fractured ribs, and a face slashed with a knife, the child walks into the freezing night and hides in a supermarket to survive. This episode of From Russia with Fear tells the story of systematic torture, parental cruelty, and a crime investigators describe as an attempted murder — and asks how such violence remained invisible for so long.

Mikhail Malyshev, known as the “Perm cannibal,” has died at the age of 65. Convicted of murder and acts that shocked even veteran investigators, Malyshev served a full 23-year sentence — and was released in 2022.

For three years, he lived freely in Perm, in the same apartment linked to his crimes. Neighbors feared him, authorities monitored him loosely, and Malyshev himself denied much of what had been proven in court.

This episode retraces the criminal case that haunted Perm for decades, the failures of the system that allowed a convicted killer to return to everyday life, and the un...

In the Russian city of Kaluga, an entire neighborhood is living in fear — not because of organized crime, but because of schoolchildren.

A gang of teenagers beats classmates, extorts money, humiliates victims, and attacks adults who try to intervene. Parents end up in hospitals, children are afraid to go to school, and local businesses are vandalized. Complaints to schools and police lead nowhere. Some of the attackers are already known to juvenile authorities, yet the violence continues.

This episode explores how teenage brutality becomes routine, how impunity fuels aggression, and why a system that refuses to...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we go to the small town of Borzya in Zabaykalsky Krai, where 34-year-old Konstantin Ektov was shot dead in the street. A former convict turned contract soldier, Ektov came back from the war and joined an operational group that hunted deserters — kidnapping their relatives, torturing them with electric shocks and taking bribes to “leave families alone.” One of those men, 31-year-old Vladimir Popov, says he paid Ektov not to be sent to the front, until a raid left his 80-year-old grandmother with a broken leg. Popov then waited for Ektov by the ga...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the horrifying story of 51-year-old Alexey Isakov from Smolensk, who tortured his 10-year-old son, cut off his finger, fractured his skull, locked him in their apartment and set it on fire. The boy burned to death while trying to escape through the window.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we examine one of the most horrifying family tragedies in recent Russian history. In the town of Kansk, 29-year-old Valentina Mytko killed three of her own children with an axe — a baby, a four-year-old girl, and an eight-year-old boy. A fourth child survived only because, as the mother later said, she “didn’t have the strength” to kill him. The woman had been under psychiatric supervision since 2019, and the family was known to child protection services. We reconstruct the crime, the warning signs that were ignored, and another chillingly similar case from Yek...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we look at court decisions analyzed by investigative journalists showing that SVO participants have killed or seriously injured more than 1,000 people after returning home. We walk through multiple cases—from torture murders and domestic killings to attacks during leave—and the legal pattern behind them: participation in the war is repeatedly treated as a mitigating factor, while contracts and pardons allow offenders to avoid real prison time.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the chilling story of Kirill Cheplygin from Krasnoyarsk Krai, who brutally murdered his wife and her new partner in front of dozens of silent witnesses. Despite receiving a 19-year prison sentence, Cheplygin is already planning to avoid real punishment by signing a contract to fight in the war zone.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the shocking story of 33-year-old model Angelika Tartanova, who was found in critical condition in Moscow after being brutally beaten. Doctors performed two skull surgeries to save her life. She suffered brain swelling, memory loss, and severe speech impairment. Investigators believe the attack may be linked to Angelika’s boyfriend, a mysterious businessman named Dmitry, who has since disappeared and is now wanted by police. We reconstruct the days leading up to her disappearance, the signs of control and isolation, and the unanswered questions surrounding one of the most di...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we follow three brutal killers who all avoided real punishment the same way — by signing a military contract and going to the war zone instead of serving long prison terms. In Sverdlovsk region, businessman Rafis Khuzin stabbed his wife, peeled skin from her body and buried her in the garden, then left a pre-trial cell for the army. In Serov, educated ex-lawyer Alexander Gook murdered a woman and her six-year-old son, dismembered the body and still escaped a potential life sentence through a contract. In Ivanovo region, sadistic wife-killer Mikhail Lobakov to...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the horrifying story of a noise complaint that turned into a double murder. In the Moscow suburb of Kotelniki, 32-year-old neighbor Yevgeny Geraskin took a hammer, went upstairs and beat to death 34-year-old Alina Vorobyova and her six-year-old son Kirill because the child “ran and stomped” at home. He tried to stage a fake robbery, but police quickly exposed the lie. Now he faces life in prison—yet his lawyer says he hopes to escape punishment by signing a contract to fight in the Special Military Operation zone. We look a...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we look at the story of Lilit Mstoyan, a hyper-aggressive migrant mother in Yaroslavl who has spent years attacking neighbors, shop workers, and anyone who crosses her path. Despite hundreds of complaints, she faced no real consequences—until a school camera recorded her threatening to kill her daughter’s algebra teacher over a bad grade. We follow the trail of broken noses, online abuse and police inaction, and ask how one woman managed to terrorize an entire city block while hiding behind her status as a single mother and member of a sm...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we expose how Roman, a Special Military Operation veteran, turned a Vladivostok apartment building into a place of fear and violence. Known for wandering the halls nearly naked, blasting music, and attacking neighbors, Roman’s erratic behavior terrorizes residents daily. Despite multiple police interventions, he remains unpunished—neighbors believe his veteran status shields him. We explore the chilling incidents, community response, and wider issues of accountability for returning soldiers.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate the chilling case of a 14-year-old girl and her 16-year-old boyfriend who murdered her mother in the Kemerovo region. The teenagers stabbed the woman inside their apartment, hid the body in the basement, and tried to fake her disappearance. The family appeared stable, the conflict seemed routine—but behind closed doors, a teenage romance turned into a deadly conspiracy. We explore the motives, the neighbors’ silence, the investigation, and the uncomfortable rise of extreme teenage violence against parents in Russia.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the story of Anton Anisimov, an SVO veteran who stabbed an 11-year-old boy and avoided prison after an insanity ruling. The child, Mukhammad, survived with serious injuries, while the court sent Anisimov to a secure psychiatric hospital with no fixed term.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we dive into the chilling case of Elena Belashova, a warehouse clerk at a Krasnodar bread factory who turned a “girls’ night” into a double murder. Two colleagues ended up dead, the factory director barely survived, and even at her final court hearing Belashova insisted she was innocent. We reconstruct the last hours of the victims, the careful preparation of the poisoner, and the quiet, almost empty courtroom where she finally heard her 21-year sentence.

A network of underground rehabilitation centers has been exposed in the Moscow region, where children were tormented, starved, and sexually abused under the guise of "addiction treatment." We will tell the story of 16-year-old Roma, who fell into a coma after beatings, the torture in the "closet," and being forced to eat dog food. How did "psychotherapist" Anna Khobotova, the owner of a network of "children's concentration camps," deceive parents, demanding hundreds of thousands of rubles for fake help, and what charges does she face? Horrific details about the sadism of drug-addict administrator Vitaly Balabrikov and an HIV-positive rapist...

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate the chilling case of a 13-year-old St. Petersburg schoolgirl who reenacted a violent videogame scenario in real life. After her mother restricted her social-media use, the girl murdered Svetlana, tried to set their flat on fire, and fabricated evidence of an intruder. We trace the events leading up to the crime, her confession, and the legal process for under-14 offenders in Russia.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we follow the story of 19-year-old conscript Artyom Antonov, shot in the head at a training ground in Primorye — and the lieutenant who killed him, freed from trial because he went to the front. We look at how conscripts are beaten and tortured into signing contracts, how forged signatures send young men like Nikita Molochkovsky to war and death, and why military service has become a shortcut out of the courtroom.

The shocking story of the Chernetsky boarding school: For 15 years, Alexander Tsymbalyuk turned orphaned pupils with developmental disabilities into sex slaves. We will tell the story of the mysterious death of his high-ranking accomplice, Nikolai Bukhonin, the mass withdrawal of testimony by victims in exchange for money, and the sole plaintiff who is demanding 15 million rubles for years of suffering. 

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the story of 22-year-old Vadim Vashchenko from Lermontov, who was tortured to death by two ex-convicts pardoned for fighting in the war. We follow his mother’s battle to have the crime recognized as murder, look at another brutal case involving soldier Alexey Kostrikin, and examine how wartime laws let thousands of violent offenders walk free — turning the front line into a conveyor belt of new crimes at home.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate the terrifying case of Dmitry Artamoshin — a Moscow Oblast man who lured young nannies to his home using his son as bait, then beat, drugged, and abused them. Two women are dead, two more are missing, and a nine-year-old boy witnessed years of cruelty. We follow the survivors’ stories, the ongoing investigation, and the dark trail of violence stretching back 25 years.

After weeks of blissful new motherhood, a 28-year-old Petersburg woman murdered her four-month-old daughter under the influence of drugs and hid the infant’s body inside a sofa. We trace the gruesome discovery, her confession, and the wider failures of social services.

In Ingushetia, the main suspect in the rape and death of 4-year-old Samira Mutsolgova has escaped justice. Upon learning of the monstrous injuries and suspicions of systematic abuse, local authorities attempted to "cover up" the case to avoid "shame" and protect the reputation of officials. We recount how the arrested suspect, Bashir Vedzizhev, a father of six, was released from pre-trial detention, signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, and was sent to the SVO. This is a shocking story of systemic corruption, ultra-conservative traditions, and the cynical use of war to grant amnesty for the most heinous...

A Moscow-region court arrests Elena Tsutskova, who confessed to beheading her disabled six-year-old son. New details reveal invented alibis, years of abuse, psychiatric illness, drug use, and possible negligence by child-welfare authorities. From Russia with Fear tracks the investigation and the system now under scrutiny.

In the Moscow region, 31-year-old Elena Tsutskova confessed to beheading her disabled six-year-old son Miroslav. Neighbors long heard screams; relatives cite schizophrenia, alcohol, and drug abuse. Investigators probe whether drugs or psychosis drove the murder. If declared insane, Tsutskova could be sent for compulsory treatment instead of prison.

A 16-year-old autistic boy died after being tortured in a Chelyabinsk psychiatric center. Surveillance video, forensic reports, and survivor testimonies reveal systematic abuse. Three staff members now face trial for abuse leading to death. From Russia with Fear exposes the horrors hidden in facilities meant to heal.

Two grandfathers brutally killed their young grandchildren — one in a drunken rage over crying, the other in a terrifying violent attack. Both men face severe prison sentences as courts await psychiatric reports. From Russia with Fear investigates these tragic cases to shed light on hidden domestic horrors and call for justice and prevention.

A nine‑year‑old boy in Krasnogorsk loses most of his fingers after picking up a booby‑trapped ten‑ruble note. Investigators suspect a planned diversion and have launched an attempted‑murder case. From Russia with Fear breaks down the attack, the investigation, and the community’s shock.

Police near Moscow arrest a married couple accused of stealing pet dogs across the region and selling them for meat. One killing is confirmed; more cases are under review. We follow the Leonov family’s loss of their border collie Sima, track the suspects’ prior 2019 case, and ask whether this time the courts will deliver real punishment.

In Saint Petersburg, 77-year-old tenant Nikolai Shapkin murdered and dismembered fashion designer Antonina Sergeeva, disposing of her remains in a grocery cart. Now declared insane, he will avoid prison and receive psychiatric treatment. From Russia with Fear investigates a case where horror meets impunity.

A soldier returning from war kills his bride on their wedding day. Another, back from the front, murders his wife during a birthday party. And in Tuva, a wrestling coach beats his wife to death after a year at war. From Russia with Fear investigates how violence learned on the battlefield is destroying families across Russia.

A rehab clinic in Pyatigorsk promised healing but became a house of torture. After the brutal death of Artem Khomenko, investigators revealed a regime of violence and abuse led by the center’s director. This episode exposes the horrors hidden in Russia’s rehab industry.

A successful businessman murders his ex-wife out of jealousy, leaving their six-year-old son orphaned. This episode explores the case of Ravil Osmanov, his pattern of abuse, and how domestic violence remains a deadly threat for women across Russia.

A shocking true story from Serov, Sverdlovsk region. Alexander Gook beheaded Olga Soroka, killed her six-year-old son, and then avoided a likely life sentence by signing a military contract and leaving for the war zone. We also tell the case of Mikhail Lobakov, convicted for torturing and murdering his wife, who went to the front and was later praised as a hero. This episode asks: what happens to justice when the battlefield becomes a way out of prison?

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate the shocking murder of 11-year-old Nastya Yakina from Nizhny Tagil — killed by a neighbor who had previously been convicted of rape and later pardoned to fight in the war. The story reveals how Russia’s system of military pardons has allowed violent offenders to return to society, often with deadly results.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we uncover a shocking wave of mass prison escapes across Russia. Within just two days, ten dangerous inmates — including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers — broke out of two correctional facilities in Lipetsk and Nerchinsk. Some dug a 70-meter tunnel, others simply walked away unnoticed. The story exposes a collapsing prison system: corruption, negligence, and the growing sense that no one is in control. Former prison officers, human rights activists, and locals weigh in on how Russia’s penitentiary system turned into a ticking time bomb.

In Sochi, a pardoned SVO veteran ran over his neighbor with his car after she asked him to turn down loud music. The woman survived but remains in critical condition with severe injuries. Investigators say the ex-soldier, who previously served time for reckless violence, had been terrorizing neighbors for months. Another case of postwar brutality spreading through Russia.

In Chelyabinsk, a war veteran who brutally stabbed his girlfriend to death in front of witnesses has been sentenced to only nine years in prison. The court cited his military service as a mitigating factor. Now, the convicted killer has applied to return to the war in Ukraine — potentially avoiding punishment entirely. A chilling story of violence, impunity, and the price of “heroism” in Russia.

In Krasnoyarsk, a 64-year-old pensioner hired a hitman — one of her debtors — to kill her close friend to avoid repaying a 200,000-ruble loan. The murder-for-debt plot shocked Russia with its cruelty and cynicism. We reveal how a mild-looking grandmother turned into a calculating killer, the accomplice who betrayed her, and why cases like this are becoming disturbingly common.

In Moscow, restaurateur Viktor Mishachev’s SUV was blown up in a “nineteen‐nineties” style hit, wounding him, his young son and a bystander. Hours later, police arrested his business partner and found a private arsenal of rifles, pistols, armour and bomb‐making materials. We unpack the blast, the rivalries that may have sparked it, and the hunt for accomplices in one of the city’s most brazen attempts on a businessman’s life.

A war-pardoned Wagner fighter returns to his Yakut village and, during a night of heavy drinking, bludgeons one neighbor with a crowbar and hacks an award-winning teacher to death with an axe. Sentenced to twenty years, he could still walk free while middle-aged — or sign another military contract and erase the slate again. This episode examines how the prison-front-freedom pipeline fuels a rising wave of post-war murders.

In Saratov, a pardoned SVO veteran murdered his girlfriend in her workplace after she tried to end their relationship. The brutal stabbing, caught on security cameras, is part of a disturbing pattern: killers released from prison to fight in Ukraine, then returning to commit new crimes — and sometimes seeking to avoid punishment by returning to war. We break down the loopholes, the numbers, and the consequences for ordinary families.

In Chulman (Yakutia), a 12-year-old girl was fatally mauled by a pack of about fifteen stray dogs in broad daylight. Despite a four-hour surgery, she died from catastrophic injuries. The attack sparked protests, a negligence case against officials, and a desperate debate over capture programs, sterilization, and vigilante “culls.” We trace the warning signs residents raised for months—and what real prevention would look like.

In Tolyatti, a 13-year-old girl brutally murdered her two little sisters while their parents were away at the police station. Investigators say jealousy, domestic violence, and mental illness may have driven her to kill. The story reveals a family’s hidden fractures, a system’s blind spots, and the haunting question of what justice means when the killer is still a child.

A Moscow trial exposes one of Russia’s most brutal criminal gangs — the “Black Realtors.” For nearly a decade, they kidnapped and starved lonely pensioners, forcing them to sign over their apartments before leaving them to die. With fake lawyers, forged heirs, and even ex‑policemen on their payroll, the group made over 240 million rubles. This episode reveals how greed, corruption, and indifference turned real estate into murder.

A young couple from Rostov-on-Don has been sentenced for one of Russia’s most horrifying crimes — the murder and dismemberment of their 8‑month‑old daughter. Yakov and Anastasia Maiboroda beat their baby to death, ground her body in a meat grinder, and hid the remains in their freezer before calling police to report a fake kidnapping. We recount the investigation, the year-long trial, and the chilling details of how a family turned into a crime scene.

A 21-year-old woman, Daria Muravyova, is stabbed to death in broad daylight in Nagorny (Chelyabinsk region). The accused, SVO veteran Kirill Kazyma, called it “love” and jealousy; prosecutors call it premeditated murder. We trace the toxic control that escalated after his return from the front, the nine knife wounds captured on a neighbor’s video, and why courts must treat stalking and “talks with a knife” as clear red flags—not excuses.

Two shocking street assaults on elderly women: in Tyumen, a man attacks the mother of a fallen SVO soldier after she enters a shop with her dog; in Ulyanovsk, 69-year-old Valentina Alekseyevna is punched in the face three times by a passerby, identified as Sergey Kadrev. We examine random street violence, impunity, and how communities can fight back.

In this episode, we explore a shocking case from Ufa, where a drunk and violent mother regularly beats her husband and terrifies their four-year-old daughter. Viral footage of the little girl begging police to “take mommy away” has sparked outrage. We look at domestic violence from the other side — when the abuser is a woman, and the victims are a father and child trapped in silence and fear.

This heartbreaking episode tells the story of Natalia Geraskina, a drunk mother from Taganrog who beat her six-month-old twin sons during her birthday — killing one and sending the other to intensive care. Despite previous warnings from social services and a history of neglect, the babies were returned to her care. We explore how systemic failure and addiction led to an unthinkable tragedy.

What first looked like a tragic accident in the village of Ushanka—where 17-year-old Milena, a farmer’s daughter, was found with horrific injuries inflicted by domestic pigs—quickly turned into a murder investigation. When Milena’s parents were away, she was looking after the farm. She went to feed the livestock and never returned. Her body, severely mangled, was found by a family friend. The initial theory of an animal attack collapsed when investigators realized the schoolgirl was struggling not with a bull, but with a person.

This episode tells the disturbing story of Father Daniil Sidorov, a 26-year-old Orthodox priest and former assistant to the Yekaterinburg Metropolitan, who was caught on video assaulting an 18-year-old girl near her home. Despite admitting guilt in a sexual violence case, the court released him without arrest. We explore how power, status, and religion affect justice in Russia.

This episode investigates the brutal case of Dmitry Suvorov, a Saint Petersburg man who murdered his daughter — then went to war instead of prison. As violence by returning SVO veterans rises, experts warn of a nationwide crisis. We examine how domestic abusers avoid punishment, why Russian courts show them leniency, and how war trauma is turning heroes into killers.

This episode of “From Russia with Fear” investigates a horror quest in Saratov where five schoolgirls were beaten, choked, and groped under the guise of “immersive play.” We examine the girls’ injuries, the organizers’ excuses, the criminal probe, and the wider problem of Russia’s unregulated quest industry.

The brutal murder of a 4-year-old girl, Samira Mutsolgova, in Ingushetia was officially blamed on beatings, but medical evidence pointed to horrific sexual assault. In this episode, we uncover the shocking details of this case, where official silence sought to hide the "shame" of the crime. Even more disturbingly, the prime suspect, Bashir Vedzizhev—who was facing charges in the girl's death—was mysteriously released from pre-trial detention and sent directly to the front line (SMO).

A village in Perm Krai is shaken after a stable hand films his exotic snake consuming a live kitten—and circulates the clip with a mocking caption. We examine the man behind the video, the occult-tinged persona he built online, the community backlash, and whether Russia’s animal-cruelty laws will actually be enforced. A case about spectacle, responsibility, and where violence often begins.

An eighteen-year-old bludgeons the woman who raised her from age three—a beloved village teacher who saved for years to send her foster daughter to medical school. What turned gratitude into greed, and love into murder? In this From Russia with Fear episode, we unpack the killing of Elena Antonova, the arrest of Ksenia Smirnova with stolen bank cards, and a verdict that echoes the fate of Ksenia’s biological mother.

A mother in Kazan set fire to her house, killing seven family members — including her own children, two of them disabled. This shocking crime shook all of Tatarstan. But the court gave her only 13 years. Was it justice — or a dangerous precedent?

A peaceful morning in a Kazan suburb turned into horror when 48-year-old Zhanna Khusainova was found dead in a field — mauled by a pack of stray dogs. In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate how the tragedy happened, who allowed dozens of aggressive dogs to roam free, and why authorities failed to prevent the attack. A heartbreaking call for help, a forbidden dog shelter, and a community shaken by negligence — all in today’s story.

A shocking tragedy in New Moscow: a 47-year-old bank analyst is found dead on a children’s playground, lying in a pool of blood. At first it seemed like an accident, but investigators soon turned their attention to the woman’s own daughter. Behind the façade of a normal family, a dark story of conflict, alcohol, and resentment unfolded. Did a daughter really kill her own mother with a dagger? From Russia with Fear investigates.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate the sharp rise in violent crimes across Russia committed by SVO veterans—many of them pardoned murderers, rapists, and repeat offenders. After returning from Ukraine, these men are not sent back to prison, but unleashed on civilian society. The result? Women and children murdered, entire communities terrorized, and a justice system that turns a blind eye.

Executions for refusal, torture in pits and basements, and commanders who shoot their own—this episode investigates “obnuleniye” and barrier detachments inside Russia’s forces. Using soldier testimonies, pre-mortem video appeals, and family accounts, we trace how units like the 19th regiment (v/ch 12322) enforce “meat assaults” with gun barrels, cold-water punishment, electric shocks, and cash extortion—turning refusal into a death sentence.

A Russian general dies in a drone strike near Krasnohorivka—but the shadow he leaves behind is darker than the battlefield. This episode investigates allegations that Major General Pavel Klimenko’s 5th Brigade ran a network of illegal detention sites in Donetsk—cellars and the Petrovskaya mine—where Russian soldiers were tortured, extorted, and forced into “meat assaults.” We also examine the murder case of American volunteer and war reporter Russell “Texas” Bentley, for which several Russian servicemen now face trial. 

Content warning: torture, unlawful detention, murder.

A year-long romance in Khabarovsk turned into a hunt. After repeated beatings, Alexandra Kutuzova left her fiancé—only to be stalked, threatened with death, and pursued to new homes and jobs. Despite 15 police complaints, the danger didn’t stop; Alexandra now lives with private security while saving voice notes and videos as evidence. This episode examines the anatomy of stalking, the paper-thin protection offered by authorities, and what survival looks like when “I’ll kill you” arrives every day on your phone. Content warning: stalking, domestic violence, threats of murder.

In this chilling episode of From Russia with Fear, we uncover the shocking case of two elderly women accused of plotting a contract killing — not out of vengeance or greed for wealth alone, but for the sake of real estate. When 69-year-old Lyalya Elmurzaeva found herself unwilling to share one of her four Moscow apartments with her recently released ex-convict son, she allegedly turned to her longtime friend Elena Kamyshnikova for help. This episode explores the betrayal of blood, the greed hiding behind smiles, and the terrifying truth of what some people are willing to sacrifice — even their own chil...

A young couple from Irkutsk buys their dream apartment — only to discover it was the scene of a gruesome murder. Years ago, a mentally ill man tortured and boiled his mother alive inside the same walls. Now, due to forged documents and a broken legal system, the couple loses everything. A true story about horror, fraud, and injustice in modern Russia.

A successful businessman murders his longtime mistress in broad daylight — all to keep his wife from discovering their secret child. In this episode, we explore the brutal killing of Natalia Dracheva by Alexander Katin, a man who chose silence over responsibility, and how Russia's justice system allowed him to consider war over prison.

In the city of Kaluga, a gang of school-aged teens has created a climate of fear. They beat classmates for fun, extort money, vandalize stores, and even attack parents who defend their children. Among them: children of a local official. Complaints to schools and police have gone nowhere—until now. This episode tells the story of a neighborhood terrorized by teenagers, and a justice system too slow to respond. Content warning: violence against minors, school bullying, physical assault.

Across Russia, veterans of the war in Ukraine—many of them pardoned criminals—are returning home and committing horrific crimes. In this episode, we follow the stories of convicted murderers and rapists who were released to fight and came back to kill again. From a hostel murder in St. Petersburg to the strangling of a 7-year-old girl in Perm, to the stabbing of elderly neighbors in Krasnodar Krai, the violence is mounting. Experts warn that PTSD, alcoholism, and impunity are driving a national crisis—and the justice system isn’t stopping it. Content warning: extreme violence, murder, child victims, sexual v...

She asked him to turn down the TV. Instead, he stabbed her to death in front of her four children. This episode tells the story of 24-year-old Elizaveta Ovchinnikova, a mother of four, murdered by her partner and SVO veteran Alexey Malyshenko in Sverdlovsk Oblast. Elizaveta had tried to escape. She had scars from his previous attacks. She had warned her friends. But no one stopped him. Now four children are left without a mother—and the war continues to echo inside Russian homes. Content warning: domestic violence, femicide, child trauma.

In Sochi, a love story turned into horror. After months of violence and threats, 46-year-old Nikolai Aliyev broke into the apartment of his ex-partner Ksenia and attacked her with a telescopic wrench. He blinded her in one eye, broke her ribs and arm, and left her bleeding beside her 11-year-old son. Despite repeated complaints to police, no action was taken until it was too late. This episode explores Ksenia’s survival, Russia’s staggering domestic violence statistics, and the system that continues to fail women every seven hours.

A shocking court case in Samara. A 17-year-old boy tortured his visually impaired peer for two hours—beating her with a metal pipe, forcing her to drink from a puddle, and setting her hair on fire—while his sister and her 30-year-old fiancé filmed instead of helping. The victim, Dasha, suffered a broken arm, a serious head injury, and permanent hearing loss in one ear. The case moved only after an appeal to Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin. This episode examines bystander complicity, institutional delays, and what justice can look like for a disabled teenager and her family.
 

They were called heroes at the front, but back home they became killers. A soldier in Rostov murdered his 14-year-old daughter, stabbed his wife and son, and jumped from a window. In Omsk, a veteran butchered his ex-wife and then escaped punishment by signing a new military contract. In Yakutsk, a Wagner fighter attacked his girlfriend so brutally she lost her child. Across Russia, women and children are living in fear as veterans of the war in Ukraine return home with violence, trauma, and impunity. This episode explores their stories, the silenced victims, and the system that protects abusers...

A birthday celebration in Belorechensk ended in horror.
Police sergeant Andrey Doroshenko and his young wife Yana invited a new acquaintance to their apartment. Hours later, both were dead—their throats cut and their bodies burned in a fire meant to destroy evidence. The suspect, 29-year-old Dmitry Foshenko, fled the scene and is now the target of a massive manhunt in Russia’s Krasnodar region. This episode uncovers the couple’s final hours, the background of the fugitive, and the failures that allowed a dangerous man to strike again.