Mikhail Dorogavtsev

Early life

Mikhail Dorogavtsev was born on 4 May 1984 in the village of Kalinets, Oryol Oblast, as the older of two children. His father, an aggressive alcoholic, physically abused and threatened to kill young Mikhail and his mother, causing the boy to become withdrawn and exhibit signs of a personality disorder early on. After his mother divorced and remarried, the family moved to Norovka, where Dorogavtsev finished high school. He was introverted, unpopular, and considered an outcast, which led to mediocre grades.

After ninth grade, he attended a vocational school in Livny, graduating in the early 2000s but failing to find work in his field. In 2002, he was conscripted into the Russian Ground Forces and deployed to Chechnya during the Second Chechen War, later signing a contract for further service as a military vehicle driver. Commanders praised his performance and obedience but noted his withdrawn, cold-blooded nature and poor communication skills. After demobilization, he worked briefly as a warden at a penal colony but was dismissed for abusing inmates.

He struggled to find other work. In the late 2000s, he married a foreign woman, had a child, and moved to Kostroma, where he worked as a fitter at a jewelry factory.

He often returned to Oryol Oblast to visit relatives. His sister noted he avoided alcohol because it made him belligerent, like his father. In his free time, he read books on Norse mythology.

Murders

Dorogavtsev claimed his first murder occurred in late December 2001, when he was 17. After drinking with friends in Livny, he approached a middle-aged woman at a bus stop and proposed sex. When she refused, he allegedly struck her on the head with a rock, killing her instantly. He dragged the body to an unfinished garage, had sex with it, and left.

The body was found the next day; her husband was initially suspected but cleared. Although investigators believe Dorogavtsev is the likely perpetrator due to semen and DNA found on the body, he later retracted his confession, alleging coercion, so the case never went to trial. On 26 April 2012, while visiting relatives in Livensky District, Dorogavtsev was driving his Audi 80 when he encountered 37-year-old Tatiana Bakurova. He offered her drinks, and they drank together for several hours.

When he proposed sex and she refused, he grabbed a hammer from between the front seats and struck her on the head. He then dragged her from the car, hit her at least five more times until she lost consciousness, took a knife, dragged her to a secluded area, and stabbed her multiple times in the abdomen, chest, and neck, killing her. He then had sex with the body and buried it in a shallow grave near the Kshen River.

Arrest, investigation and confessions

After the second victim did not return home, her husband reported her missing. Police found blood along the road and initially suspected a hit-and-run. Dorogavtsev participated in the search party. A witness reported nearly colliding with a blue car bearing Kostroma Oblast plates (code 44).

Investigators traced the car to Dorogavtsev, who was visiting relatives. He was brought in for questioning. Initially claiming he accidentally hit the woman and threw her body into the Kshen River, he later confessed to murder after divers failed to find the body. He led police to a shallow grave, where they also found the remains of Bakurova.

Dorogavtsev then confessed to both murders in detail. A search of his house uncovered jewelry belonging to the second victim in an asbestos pipe in the outhouse and blood stains in his car. During the investigation, he feigned mental illness, claiming Odin and Freya commanded him to kill women for insolence. A childhood notebook with runic symbols was found, but a psychiatric evaluation in Kursk in October 2012 concluded he was sane.

Trial and imprisonment

In January 2013, Mikhail Dorogavtsev faced trial after being declared mentally fit. He was accused of two murders, two counts of corpse desecration, and two thefts. The Oryol Regional Court convicted him on all charges in May 2013, handing down a 21-year prison term plus an extra 18 months of supervised release. His subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was denied that August, making the sentence final.

Did You Know?

• Dorogavtsev claimed he killed his first victim at age 17 in December 2001 by hitting her on the head with a rock.
• He participated in the search party for his second victim, Oksana Chechetkina, before being identified as a suspect.
• An autopsy on Chechetkina revealed 56 stab wounds, with examiners noting the killer intentionally inflicted deep wounds.
• Dorogavtsev stole Chechetkina's bag containing pensions, a pair of gold earrings, and her wedding ring after killing her.