Artyom Anoufriev

Biography

Artyom Anoufriev was born on October 4, 1992, in Irkutsk, and was raised without a father. Childhood friends described him in court positively, but nevertheless, his childhood was very difficult psychologically.

His mother, Nina Ivanovna Anoufrieva, who worked as an accountant in an insurance company, did not have a good influence on the teenager's upbringing.
According to the previous headmaster of the school he studied in, she had instructed young Anoufriev to hate people.

When he received bad grades, his mother immediately wrote statements in which she reproached teachers for psychological pressure on her son, and if the marks were written only in his journal, she would write complaints about the concealment of information.

Ultimately, while Anoufriev was in the 9th grade, the school management was forced to look for a new physics teacher, because the previous one refused to teach the class that Anoufriev was in.


Anoufriev showed exceptional dedication to his academic pursuits, earning impressive marks in literature and English.
In addition to excelling in his studies, he actively participated in numerous school activities and competitions.

Over the span of five years, he diligently received musical instruction, mastering both the guitar and double bass.
He also joined a local music group, which regrettably disbanded after its organizer departed from Irkutsk.

During his early school years, Anoufriev experienced social exclusion, though in later grades, as his peers matured and became more friendly, he gradually overcame this isolation.
Nevertheless, his academic performance faltered in the 10th grade, resulting in a less favorable final evaluation upon graduation.

In the senior year, right before leaving school, Anoufriev's classmates created an informal film to express their perspectives on happiness.
Interestingly, Anoufriev was the only one to honestly admit, "I am uncertain about what happiness truly entails. Nonetheless, I hope to discover it as soon as possible."

After completing high school, Anoufriev successfully gained admission to the prestigious Irkutsk State Medical University while concurrently securing a position as an auxiliary worker at an esteemed art museum.

Trial

During the trial, it was mentioned by Anoufriev's mother that he had experienced a violent incident involving a group of Armenians, leading to the opening of a criminal case, but no one was ultimately charged.

The Anoufriev family received a compensation of 50 thousand rubles for non-pecuniary damages, but his mother claimed that Anoufriev's emotional state became severely unstable following the incident.


However, some reports suggest that Anoufriev may have instigated the conflict by insulting the Armenians' family on a social networking site, which led to a confrontation. The criminal case was subsequently dropped after the parties reconciled.


For a period, Anoufriev was associated with a white power skinhead group (he also took part in the Annual Russian March in Irkutsk in 2010). Within specific circles, he was known by the nickname "Fashik-Natsik," but he didn't engage in public speeches and wasn't highly active.

After his arrest, Anoufriev confessed that his interaction with the skinhead group influenced him to commit the murder, even though he hadn't been actively involved with them for long due to finding their ideology too passive and soft.

In 2009, he communicated with "Boomer," the unofficial leader of the Irkutsk skinheads, for a brief period, but Boomer stated in court that Anoufriev's beliefs didn't align with their ideology, leading to his exclusion from the group.
Boomer described Anoufriev as harboring hatred towards everyone, displaying a complete disregard for the identity of his victims.

Another motive, confirmed by both Anoufriev and Lytkin, was the desire to imitate other well-known serial killers.

A certain role was played when they watched a TV program in 2007 about the "Bitsa Park Maniac" Alexander Pichushkin, who committed several dozen murders in Moscow.

The pair became interested in him, and Anoufriev created the "Pichushkin – Our President" group on the internet.

On February 13, one day before the anniversary of the execution of Andrei Chikatilo, they posted his portrait on the internet with the signature "Andrei Romanovich. We grieve." They were interested in the so-called "Dnepropetrovsk maniacs" Viktor Sayenko and Igor Suprunyuk, as well as the Irkutsk "Blood Magic Gang", whose sentence was delivered on March 1, 2010.

The duo openly expressed their sympathy for the gang leader Konstantin Shumkov and the for the gang's activities in general, in particular, Lytkin even created a group in one social network called "Irkutsk anti-bom gang: Blood Magic". In addition, the teens dedicated one of their albums from "Dismembered PugachOva" to Shumkov's gang under the name "Blood Magic", and in the introduction they openly declared their intention of continuing Shumkov's work.


Anoufriev and Lytkin, the notorious serial killers known as the "Academy Maniacs," had a complex relationship, with each offering different insights into their motives.
Anoufriev claimed that the idea of killing came from Lytkin, and he reluctantly participated, feeling unsatisfied and regretful afterward.

He referred to Lytkin as the "instigator" of their crimes. However, during the investigation, Anoufriev also mentioned planning future crimes in St. Petersburg but later retracted his statements.

Lytkin, on the other hand, admitted that he couldn't have committed the murders alone, as he found it uninteresting.
He stated that he enjoyed the killings when carried out with Anoufriev.
In interviews, Lytkin admitted that he would have continued killing if not arrested.

During the court hearings, their statements conflicted. Anoufriev accused Lytkin of being the driving force behind their actions, while Lytkin denied being influenced by Anoufriev.
The investigators had different opinions on their roles, with some seeing Anoufriev as the "think tank" and Lytkin as the "performer."

The "Boomer," a witness at the trial, described Anoufriev as flawed and unfit to be a leader. However, it was revealed that Lytkin was responsible for most of the knife wounds during the attacks.

Overall, their relationship was characterized by a deep connection and mutual understanding, making them a dangerous and deadly duo.

Crimes

Anoufriev and Lytkin, known as the "Molotochniki," followed a daily routine, walking from the "State University" stop to "Akademgorodok" between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., seeking suitable victims.
Sometimes they spent a week without attacking anyone, as their inner urges guided their actions, as mentioned by investigator Yevgeny Karchevsky during the trial.

They chose to strike late in the evening, at night, or in the early morning when their mothers were away at work. The murder weapons included mallets, hammers, baseball bats, and knives.
Anoufriev mainly initiated the first blows, while Lytkin engaged in desecrating the victims' bodies. Together, they delivered 15 to 20 fatal blows.

Since the Molotochniki attacked from behind, survivors couldn't provide specific details to immediately identify them, despite recalling similar characteristics.
In court, witnesses were unable to definitively recognize Anoufriev and Lytkin.


In November 2010, a series of vicious attacks commenced, perpetrated by two individuals known as Lytkin and Anoufriev.
Their initial victim, Anastasia Markovskaya, survived the assault, but the authorities didn't pursue a criminal case as she wasn't robbed.

This emboldened the attackers to continue their violent spree, resulting in numerous assaults, including the tragic murder of 12-year-old Danil Semyonov, who suffered a brutal attack with a mallet and penknife.

Despite these heinous crimes, no official investigation was launched, allowing the killers to persist.

Subsequently, on December 16, 2010, they killed Olga Mikhailovna Pirog in a similar manner, followed by several other attacks on different victims. These attackers, dubbed "Molotochniki" due to their use of mallets, showed no mercy, targeting homeless individuals, women, and even a pregnant lady.

Some fortunate victims managed to survive through fortunate interventions or sheer luck.

Unfortunately, the authorities failed to connect the incidents, causing significant delays in identifying the culprits. The attackers even filmed one of their heinous acts, sharing it online through an acquaintance, which brought attention to the questionable police handling of the case.


In October 2012, during the trial, Vladimir Gusev, a 27-year-old from Krasnoyarsk Krai, confessed to being Anoufriev's "second friend" due to their shared extremist beliefs.

He admitted that Anoufriev had told him about three murders and had even taken him along on two "hunting" attempts, which, however, yielded no results.

Initially, Vladimir was skeptical about Anoufriev and Lytkin's involvement in the killings, but upon realizing the truth, he refrained from reporting it to the authorities out of fear for his and a neighboring girl's safety.

Vladimir also mentioned that just a few days before the murder, Lytkin had received a military summons as he reached the age of conscription, to which Anoufriev casually remarked that "Lytkin will have to be killed so that he will not be burned."

On March 6, 2013, during the trial, Lytkin surprisingly claimed that Anoufriev was not involved in four of the crimes.
He stated that Anoufriev did not kill Olga Pirog and instead, another person was present during two of the attacks, while a different accomplice joined them for the fourth crime.

The names of these accomplices were not disclosed by the press, but it was confirmed that the fourth accomplice had acted as a witness. However, on March 13, Lytkin again unexpectedly admitted that he had no accomplices and did not provide a reason for falsely implicating innocent individuals.

There were speculations that he might have done so to delay the investigation.
Lytkin's mother claimed that he did it to protect Anoufriev, claiming that the investigators had pressured Lytkin by threatening him with solitary confinement.
On the other hand, Anoufriev denied the allegation, asserting that the investigator had pressured Lytkin. Lytkin's mother refuted Anoufriev's statement, saying that she was present during early interrogations, and her son was never coerced by the investigators.

Online Activities

Anoufriev and Lytkin, the individuals involved in the attacks, openly discussed their crimes on social media without hiding their identities. Anoufriev even proclaimed that they held the power of life and death, portraying the severity of their actions.
They engaged in "recruiting conversations" with some users, encouraging violent acts like "training" to toughen the psyche.

However, during the investigation, many doubted the authenticity of their claims, suspecting that they were seeking attention rather than actually committing the murders. The evidence collected from Anoufriev's social media accounts consisted of an extensive 8-volume correspondence, comprising 4,600 pages of printed text, which was kept confidential until the trial's conclusion.

Here is a list of all the victims mentioned:

1. Anastasia Markovskaya (November 14, 2010)
2. Unidentified 46-year-old woman (November 24, 2010)
3. Unidentified woman (December 1, 2010)
4. Danil Semyonov (December 1, 2010)
5. Olga Mikhailovna Pirog (December 16, 2010)
6. Inessa Valentinovna Svetlova (December 29, 2010)
7. Yekaterina Karpova (December 29, 2010)
8. Unidentified homeless man (January 1, 2011)
9. Oleg Semyonov (January 30, 2011)
10. Unidentified elderly woman (February 3, 2011)
11. Unidentified woman (Night of February 8–9, 2011)
12. Alexander Petrovich Maximov (February 21, 2011)
13. Nina Kuzmina (February 27, 2011)
14. Roman Faizullin (Night of March 10–11, 2011)
15. Unidentified homeless woman (Unknown date)
16. Unidentified woman (Unknown date)
17. Alevtina Kuydina (April 3, 2011)






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