Serial killer in the capital is the first case in 10 years – Tsutskiridze

The First Deputy Head - Head of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine Maksym Tsutskiridze commented on the case that shocked the entire country. It concerns the sentencing to life imprisonment of a citizen of Uzbekistan, who took the lives of eleven people in Ukraine over several years.

This is one of the most resonant cases of serial murders in the last decade.

Among the victims are men and women aged 35 to 81. The criminal gained their trust, got to know them, drank alcohol, and then, when people lost their vigilance, brutally killed them. He strangled some, beat others with stones, then took valuables and disappeared.

Maksym Tsutskiridze confirmed: “In Kyiv, a similar case of serial murders is the first in ten years and this is a great rarity.” At the same time, he emphasized that the absolute majority of murders investigated by police investigators are of a domestic nature and do not become public, although hundreds of specialists work on them every day.

“The vast majority of murders investigated by police investigators are domestic: those that are very rarely heard of, but the work on them continues daily and brings results. The rate of detection of premeditated murders has always been consistently high, and in 2024 it even broke the record for all the years of Independence: in 99.1% of cases, police officers identified, searched for and brought criminals to justice,” Tsutskiridze noted.

The police demonstrate the same level of efficiency in cases of serious bodily injuries with fatal consequences: in 2024, suspects received a report of suspicion in 99.6% of cases. According to Tsutskiridze, a key role in this is played by modern technologies that allow suspects to be identified literally within a few hours of the crime.

The case of the Kyiv serial killer was no exception. He was caught after an attack on a flower shop employee, whose body was found at her workplace. The capital's criminal investigation officers reacted instantly, tracked the attacker's route, and in less than a day detained him near the crime scene. During interrogation, the man not only admitted his guilt, but also spoke in detail about previous murders that were considered unsolved.

The facts collected by the investigators — the results of numerous examinations, interrogations, investigative experiments, and a psychiatric examination — formed the basis of suspicion under eleven articles of the Criminal Code. The court found the accused fully guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

“A brutal murderer received a fair sentence, society can breathe a sigh of relief — despite the horrors of war, a serial killer the country has not seen for years — was exposed by the police and received a life sentence. He will never be released again, he will never take anyone’s life, and this is a credit to the specialized investigative and operational units that work around the clock for the safety of our citizens,” emphasized Maksym Tsutskiridze.

This case has become a symbol of professional endurance, coordinated police work, and justice, which even in times of war remains inevitable.