World's 'deadliest' serial killer explains chilling reasons for murdering 90 women

Russia’s worst maniac ‘werewolf’ Mikhail Popkov, 61, sentenced to two previous life sentences.Mikhail Popkov (Image: social media / east2west news)

The world's most notorious serial killer, Mikhail 'Werewolf' Popkov, has offered a bone-chilling rationale for his gruesome spree of at least 90 murders, including the savage killing and subsequent burning of Tatyana S, a cleaner, in Angarsk in 2011.

Dubbed the 'Werewolf' for his brutal slayings, Popkov, a former police officer, has been linked to the merciless murder of women aged between 18 to 50, often raping them before taking their lives with an assortment of implements such as axes, hammers, knives, screwdrivers, and spades. In a recent admission at a desolate water pumping station, the handcuffed killer coldly stated: "I committed the murder."

Police insiders believe Popkov's actual victim count may be "closer to 200," as he continues to confess to more killings in hopes of securing better prison conditions. The married father terrorised lone women from 1992 to 2011, predominantly in Angarsk, Russia, claiming he aimed to "cleanse of prostitutes".

Recounting the events that led to his latest confessed murder, Popkov chillingly narrated: "I was on a bicycle, about to cross the park... I met this woman I didn't know, or she asked me something, and some conversation ensued."

The confrontation quickly turned violent, ending with him striking her with a small axe. When asked whether he continued assaulting her after she fell, he replied, "No, I think I just pushed her over there and she fell over there. Then I stepped back, took out a match, threw a match, it went up in flames.", reports the Mirror US.

He admitted to dousing her in solvent before setting her ablaze, saying, "And I just got on my bike and took off," Popkov remarked. "I put the axe right on the grass. Who will be looking for her at that time?" If his confession leads to a conviction, it could confirm his responsibility for at least 90 murders.

Russia's worst serial killer Mikhail 'Werewolf' Popkov shows during a crime reenactment how he used an axe to murder his 90th victim, a woman named Tatyana, a cleaner, in 2011, as the maniac confesses to her killing her in Angarsk for the first time.Mikhail Popkov confessed in new crime (Image: IC /east2west news)

Known as the "Angarsk Maniac", Popkov is presently incarcerated, serving two life sentences plus an additional decade for his brutal crimes against women. The remains of this latest known murder victim were found in 2011 but weren't initially connected to him.

This is thought to be the most recent murder he's confessed to. The Russian Investigative Committee has announced, "Popkov has admitted his guilt and testified to committing the crime, after which he was transferred [from his high security jail] to the Irkutsk region for the necessary investigative procedures. He has now been charged."

Last year, Popkov admitted to three additional murders in Russia's Primorsky region, a staggering 2,400 miles from Angarsk in Siberia's Irkutsk region where the majority of his horrific crimes took place. These atrocities were committed during his travels to the Russian Pacific port Vladivostok, where he purchased second-hand Japanese cars to sell back in his home region after leaving the police force.

Popkov was diagnosed with homicidal mania, defined by TASS as "a condition when a person has an irrational desire to kill someone". Despite this diagnosis, the prolific killer was deemed sane.

Since 1996, Russia has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty, even for the most monstrous criminals. In the past, those sentenced to death were executed by a gunshot to the back of the head.

A disturbing video from Popkov's family archive reveals him in the 1990s, approaching the camera wielding a knife and reciting a post-war nursery rhyme about Nazi prisoners of war attacking locals.

He had a chilling explanation (Image: KP / east2west news)

"I will slash you. I will beat you. Now it's your turn," he chillingly declares with a smile. He frequently lured his victims into his police car under the guise of offering them nighttime rides, before taking them to secluded locations where he sexually assaulted and murdered them, discarding their naked bodies in forests or along roadsides.

Popkov chillingly told a judge he could not remember the total number of women he killed. "I can't say exactly, I didn't keep a record," he coldly admitted to the court.

The serial killer conceded, revealing his disturbing rationale: "I admit my guilt in full.... Committing the murders, I was guided by my inner convictions."

Following his capture in 2012, he confessed to police his twisted aim to purge the streets of "prostitutes", justifying his brutality with the words: "They abandoned their husbands and children at home and went out to party as if it was the last day on earth," Speculation arose that an alleged infidelity by his wife Elena with a work colleague may have sparked Popkov's vicious campaign.

Alexey Mulyavin, 52, acknowledged he had an intimate relationship with Elena before her husband commenced his horrific acts. He claimed" "He did not catch us red handed, but he learned about it," unveiling details of the brief liaison they said: "You know, it was a very short affair. We were young. And probably everyone has love affairs at work."

Popkov himself recounted finding used condoms in his home and surmised Elena's betrayal.

She denied being unfaithful, attributing the evidence to hosting friends' secret encounters.

Reflecting on the starting point of his murderous path, Popkov reflected: "This was the impetus for my future. If I had seen the treason with my own eyes, I would perhaps have done everything differently."

He mused over people's varying reactions to betrayal, saying, "Everyone goes through such things differently. Some take it easily and forget, others take it painfully. What happened to me? The worst-case scenario."

In 2023, Popkov was handed a sentence for three previously undisclosed murders that took place in Irkutsk between 1997 and 2003. Two women, aged 25 and 27, were strangled near the Angara River, with one of them being set alight after being drenched in petrol.

The third victim was a 31 year old nursery school teacher and mother of two. Despite Popkov's proposition to join Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine in return for his liberty, his plea has been rejected.