Anatoly Onoprienko

Serial Killer
Anatoly Yuriyovych Onoprienko was a Ukrainian serial mass murderer. He was also known by the nicknames "The Beast
of Ukraine", "The Terminator", and "Citizen O". Wikipedia

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Born: 25 July 1959, Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Died: 27 August 2013, Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Victims: 52
Span of killings: 19891996
Cause of death: Heart failure
Date apprehended: 16 April 1996

Anatoly Onoprienko
Biography
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Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Trivia (10)

Overview (2)

Nickname The Terminator

Height 5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Anatoly Onoprienko was one of Eastern Europe's most savage and prolific serial killers. Over a span of six
years from 1989 to 1996 he murdered at least 52 people across the Ukraine. Born in the town of Lasky in
Zhytomyr Oblast, Onoprienko was the younger of two sons; his brother, Valentin, was thirteen years
older. His father, Yuri Onoprienko, was decorated for bravery during World War II.When Anatoly was four
years old, his mother died. He was cared for by his grandparents and aunt for a time before being handed
over to an orphanage in the village of Privitnoe. According to Onoprienko, he resented the fact that he had
been given away by his father, while his brother continued to stay under his care. In one interview,
Onoprienko later alleged that it was this that predetermined his destiny, and remarked that seventy
percent of those brought up in orphanages end up in prison as adults. Onoprienko's killing spree began in
1989 with a family of ten that was killed during a robbery when they stumbled upon him. Onoprienko
confessed that he and an accomplice, Sergei Rogozin, a gym patron with whom he robbed several other
homes, committed the family murders with weapons that they carried for self-defense. He also stated that
he cut off all contact with Rogozin afterwards. The victims consisted of two adults and eight children. In
that same year, five people, including an 11-year-old boy, were shot dead while sleeping in a car before
their bodies were burned. Onoprienko confessed that the murders were unintentional and that he only
planned to burglarize the car. On December 24, 1995, the Zaichenko family of four were killed with a
sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun during a robbery in their home at Garmarnia, a village in central
Ukraine, which was set ablaze afterwards. On January 2, 1996, a family of four were shot and killed. The
murders were quickly followed by a male pedestrian whom Onoprienko killed out of necessity in order to
eliminate potential witnesses. On January 6, 1996, Onoprienko allegedly killed four people in three
separate incidents on the Berdyansk-Dnieprovskaya highway, by stopping cars before killing the drivers.
The victims were Kasai, a Navy ensign; Savitsky, a taxi driver; Kochergina, a kolkhoz cook; and an
unidentified victim. On January 17, 1996, the Pilat family of five were shot and killed in their home, which
was then set ablaze. Two potential witnesses were then killed, a 27-year-old railroad worker named
Kondzela and a 56-year-old pedestrian named Zakharko. On January 30, 1996, Marusina, her two sons,
and a 32-year-old visitor named Zagranichniy were all shot dead in the Fastova, Kievskaya Oblast region
of Ukraine. On February 19, 1996, the Dubchak family was killed in their home in Olevsk, Zhitomirskaya
Oblast. According to Onoprienko, he shot and killed the father and the son, mauled the mother to death
with a hammer, and demanded money from the daughter before mauling her to death as well when she
refused. On February 27, 1996, the Bodnarchuk family was killed in their home in Malina, Lvivskaya
Oblast. According to Onoprienko, he fatally shot the parents and then hacked the daughters, aged seven
and eight, to death with an axe. An hour later, Onoprienko then allegedly shot and killed a neighboring
businessman named Tsalk who was wandering around the Bodnarchuk property, hacking his corpse with
the axe afterwards. On March 22, 1996, the Novosad family of four was Onoprienko's last alleged victims.
According to him, he shot and killed all of the family members and set their home on fire to eliminate any
traces of evidence. The killings followed a set pattern. He chose an isolated house and gained the
attention of the occupants by creating a commotion. He would then kill all occupants starting with the

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adult male, before going to find and kill the spouse and finally the children. He would then usually set the
buildings alight in an attempt to cover his tracks. He would also kill any witness unlucky enough to cross
his path during his murderous rampages. Onoprienko was finally captured on April 16, 1996. His trial
occurred two years later in late 1998 where he confessed to his crimes in court from inside a steel cage
inside the courtroom. Onoprienko was convicted of all 52 murders and sentenced to death, but the
sentenced was later commuted to life in prison as a requirement with the Ukraine joined the council of
Europe. After 17 years in Zhytomyr prison, Onoprienko died of heart failure on August 27, 2013 at the age
of 54.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Trivia (10)
There were significant gaps in the time line of his movements between 1989 and 1995, although it is
confirmed that Anatoly was expelled from both Austria and Germany during that period. Investigators are
exploring possible links between their prisoner and other unsolved homicides in the Ukraine and
elsewhere.
At his trial in November 1998, Onoprienki stated he felt like a robot driven for years by a dark force, and
argued he should not be tried until authorities determine the source of this force. Hundreds of spectators
watched the trial unfold and bayed for the killer's blood. He had devastated many villages throughout the
Ukraine and the towns' people wanted their own revenge.
Onoprienko's victim count of 52 murders equals the tally of fellow Ukrainian Andrei Chikatilo.
Onoprienko had worked as a sailor and had studied forestry at university before his arrest. He was known
to authorities and was on an outpatient program of a local psychiatric hospital department.
At one point, Onoprienko's manhunt involved 2,000 police and more than 3,000 troops eventually leading
to Onoprienko's arrest following an anonymous tip-off.
Sentenced to death April 1999. Commuted to life in prison August 1999. Died in prison on August 27,
2013.
Onoprienko was kept inside a steel cage during his 1998-99 murder trial.
Up to seven years, he lived with his grandfather and grandmother, and then was brought up in an
orphanage.
His mother died when he was 4 years old, and his father had already left the family.
Onoprienko from 1989 to 1996 killed 52 people, 9 victims from 14 June to 16 August 1989 and 43 victims
from 5 October 1995 to 22 March 1996.

Anatoly Onoprienko
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anatoly Onoprienko Other names The Beast Of Ukraine

The Terminator

Citizen O

Criminal penalty Death, commuted to life imprisonment

Anatoly Onoprienko mugshot

Killings
Born Anatoly Yuriyovych Onoprienko

July 25, 1959

Victims 52
Zhytomyr, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union

Span of killings 19891996

Died August 27, 2013 (aged 54)

Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Country Ukrainian SSR[nb 1]

Ukraine
Cause of death Heart failure

Date apprehended April 16, 1996

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Anatoly Yuriyovych Onoprienko (Ukrainian: July 25, 1959 August 27, 2013)
was a Ukrainianserial mass murderer.[2] He was also known by the nicknames "The Beast of Ukraine", "The
Terminator", and "Citizen O". After police arrested the 36-year-old former forestry student on April 16, 1996,
Onoprienko confessed to killing 52 people.[3][4]

Contents

[edit]
Born in the village of Lasky in Zhytomyr Oblast,[5] Onoprienko was the younger of two sons; his brother, Valentin,
was thirteen years older. His father, Yuri Onoprienko, was decorated for bravery during World War II. When Anatoly
was four years old, his mother died. He was cared for by his grandparents and aunt for a time before being handed
over to an orphanage in the village of Privitnoe. According to Onoprienko, he resented the fact that he had been
given away by his father, while his brother continued to stay under his care. [6] In one interview, Onoprienko later
alleged that it was this that predetermined his destiny, and remarked that seventy percent of those brought up in
orphanages end up in prison as adults.

Victims[edit]
When finally arrested by police, Onoprienko was found to be in possession of a total of 122 items, including a
sawed-off TOZ-34 shotgun, a number of other weapons, which matched the murder weapons used in several of the
killings, and a number of items which had been removed from murder victims. While in custody, he
eventually confessed to eight killings between 1989 and 1995. At first, he denied other charges, but ultimately
confessed to the killing of 52 victims over a six-year period.[5] While in custody, he claimed that he killed in response
to commands he was given by inner voices.[6]
These are the following murders confessed by Onoprienko, in chronological order:
110. In 1989, a family of ten was killed during a robbery when they stumbled upon the intruder. Onoprienko
confessed that he and an accomplice, Sergei Rogozin, a gym patron with whom he robbed several other homes,
committed the family murders with weapons that they carried for self-defense. He also stated that he cut off all
contact with Rogozin afterwards. The victims consisted of two adults and eight children. [6]
1115. In that same year, five people, including an 11-year-old boy, were shot dead while sleeping in a car before
their bodies were burned. Onoprienko confessed that the murders were unintentional and that he only planned to
burglarize the car.[6]
1619. On December 24, 1995, the Zaichenko family of four were killed with a sawed-off, double-barreled
shotgun during a robbery in their home at Garmarnia, a village in central Ukraine, which was set ablaze afterwards. [6]
2024. On January 2, 1996, a family of four were shot and killed. The murders were quickly followed by that of a
male pedestrian whom Onoprienko killed out of necessity in order to eliminate potential witnesses. [6]
2528. On January 6, 1996, Onoprienko allegedly killed four people in three separate incidents on the Berdyansk-
Dnieprovs'k highway, by stopping cars before killing the drivers. The victims were Kasai, a Navy ensign; Savitsky, a
taxi driver; Kochergina, a kolkhoz cook; and an unidentified victim.[6]
2935. On January 17, 1996, the Pilat family of five were shot and killed in their home, which was then set ablaze.
Two potential witnesses were then killed, a 27-year-old railroad worker named Kondzela and a 56-year-old
pedestrian named Zakharko.[6]
3639. On January 30, 1996, Marusina, her two sons, and a 32-year-old visitor named Zagranichniy were all shot
dead in the Fastiv, Kyivs'ka Oblast region of Ukraine.[6]
4043. On February 19, 1996, the Dubchak family was killed in their home in Olevsk, Zhytomyrs'ka Oblast.
According to Onoprienko, he shot and killed the father and the son, mauled the mother to death with a hammer, and
demanded money from the daughter before mauling her to death as well when she refused. [6]
4448. On February 27, 1996, the Bodnarchuk family was killed in their home in Malina, Lvivs'ka Oblast.
According to Onoprienko, he fatally shot the parents and then hacked the daughters, aged seven and eight, to death
with an axe. An hour later, Onoprienko then allegedly shot and killed a neighboring businessman named Tsalk who
was wandering around the Bodnarchuk property, hacking his corpse with the axe afterwards. [6]
4952. On March 22, 1996, the Novosad family of four was Onoprienko's last alleged victims. According to him,
he shot and killed all of the family members and set their home on fire to eliminate any traces of evidence. [6]
Methods[edit]
The killings followed a set pattern. He chose an isolated house and gained the attention of the occupants by
creating a commotion. He would then kill all occupants starting with the adult male, before going to find and kill the
spouse and finally the children. He would then usually set the buildings alight in an attempt to cover his tracks. He
would also kill any witness unlucky enough to cross his path during his murderous rampages.
 Capture and conviction[edit]
In March 1996, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Public Prosecutor's Office specialists detained 26-year-
old Yury Mozola as a suspect of several brutal murders. Over the course of three days, six SBU members and one
representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office tortured (burning, electric shocking and beating) Mozola.[7] Mozola
refused to confess to the crimes and died during the torture. Seven responsible for the death were sentenced to
prison terms.[8] Seventeen days later, the real murderer, Anatoly Onoprienko, was found after a massive manhunt,
seven years after his first murder. This happened after he moved in with one of his relatives and his stash of
weapons was discovered. Onoprienko was quickly booted out of the house. Days later, from the information
received, Onoprienko was captured.
Onoprienko escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to life imprisonment; in 1995 Ukraine had entered
the Council of Europe and thus (at the time) it undertook to abolish the death penalty. [5][n

ANATOLY ONOPRIENKO
Biography

The Crimes

The Arrest

The Trial

The Aftermath

Timeline

The Crimes
Onoprienkos first murder was a couple he encountered standing next to their Lada car on a
motorway. On an urge, he stopped his car, reversed to where they were parked and shot them
in cold blood. He later claimed that from that moment onwards, killing seemed merely like a
game from outer space, he gained no pleasure from it and found corpses ugly.

In 1989, Onoprienko began killing with his friend, Serhiy Rogozin, whom he had met at a local
gymnasium. Their first crime was when they broke into a home in Bratkovychi to steal
valuables. The owners caught them and their response was to kill the family, of two adults
and five children, to avoid having any witnesses to their crime.

Onoprienko claimed to have parted ways with Rogozin a few months later but he continued
killing. Finding a family of five, including an 11-year-old boy, who were asleep in their car,
Onoprienko shot them at point-blank range. Not knowing what to do with their bodies, sat
with them in the car for two hours before burning them.

His general formula for crime would be to select an isolated house, to break in and steal what
valuables he could and then to murder the entire family, as well as any witnesses he
encountered. His methods were violent; he blew doors off homes, gunned down adults, using
a 12-gauge shotgun at point-blank range, raped women and battered children with metal
objects. After taking money, jewellery, stereo equipment and other items of value, he would
set the house alight to destroy any evidence.

On 24th December 1995 he broke into the home of the Zaichenko family in Garmarnia, central
Ukarine. Using his sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun, Onoprienko killed the forestry teacher,
his wife and two young sons before leaving with stolen jewellery and clothing and setting the
house alight.

A few days later, Onoprienko shot and killed a family of four in the Lviv region, before burning
down their house. A man spotted him as he fled the scene, so Onoprienko shot and killed him.
Less than a month later, on 6th January 1996, he killed three more people, in three separate
incidents. Onoprienko stopped his car near the Berdyansk-Dnieprovskaya motorway. He
hailed down other cars, as if he needed assistance, and when they drew up, he shot the
occupants. They were Kasai, a Navy ensign; Savitsky, a taxi driver and Kochergina, a cook.

On the 17th January 1996 Onoprienko drove to Bratkovychi and broke into the Pilat family
home. He shot five people, including a six-year-old boy, before setting the house alight. He
was seen by two witnesses, Kondzela, 27, a female railroad worker, and Zakharko, 56, whom
he shot and killed.

In the Fastova, Kievskaya Oblast region, on 30th January 1996 Onoprienko shot and killed
Marusina, a 28-year-old nurse, her two young sons and a 32-year-old male visitor,
Zagranichniy.

On 19th February 1996 Onoprienko broke into the Dubchak family home in Olevsk, Zhytomyr
Oblast. He shot the father and son and beat the mother and daughter to death with a hammer.

He drove to Malina, Lviv Oblast, where he broke into the home of the Bodnarchuk family on
27th February 1996. He shot the husband and wife, killed the daughters, aged 7 and 8, with an
axe and shot a neighbour, named Tsalk.

Onoprienko travelled to Busk, outside Bratkovychi, on 22nd March 1996, where he killed the
Novosad family of four and set their house alight to destroy the bodies. Onoprienko claimed
this was his last murder.

It was during this relentless massacre of families in Bratkovichi and Busk villages over a
three-month period that Onoprienko was dubbed The Terminator and Citizen O. Some
sources say he killed 43 people in 6 months, whilst others put the figure at more than 50 in 3
months. Whatever the actual total, it was certain that Onoprienko was a serial killer who was
out of control.

To me killing people is like ripping open a duvet. Men, women, old people, children, they are
all the same. I have never felt sorry for those I killed. No love, no hatred, just blind
indifference. I dont see them as individuals, but just as masses.

In March 1996 the Ukrainian police launched nationwide manhunt for the killer, involving
2,000 police and more than 3,000 troops, concentrating specifically on where the murders
had occurred in the western Ukraine.

In an unfortunate turn of events during the police investigation, an innocent man, Yury
Mozola, 26, was taken in for questioning as a suspect in several of the murders. Over a period
of three days, he was held in custody, burned, beaten and given electric shocks in order to
force a confession. Refusing to confess to something he did not do, Mozola died during the
torture. The six members of the Ukrainian Secret Service, along with the representative of
the Public Prosecutors Office, who tortured Mazola and were responsible for his death, were
later sentenced to short prison terms.

It was around this time that Onoprienko had asked one of his cousins, Pyotr Onoprienko, if he
could stay with him for a while. Pyotr had agreed but became concerned when he found
Onoprienkos store of weapons in the house. Pyotr confronted him and Onoprienko became
extremely angry and threatening towards Pyotr and his family. A worried Pyotr asked him to
leave and Onoprienko moved in with his hairdresser girlfriend, Anna, and her two children.

Still worried by Onoprienkos threats, Pyotr Onoprienko approached the police to tell them of
the weapon stash he had found. He spoke to deputy police chief Sergei Kryukov and informed
him that Onoprienko was living with his girlfriend in the nearby town of Zhytomyr. Kryukov
became interested when he learned that a 12-gauge hunting rifle, one of the weapons
recently used in a local murder, was the same type of rifle reported stolen in the Zhytomyr
area. This could be a thread to link Onoprienko to at least some of the local murders.

9. Anatoly Onoprienko
Photo:Murderpedia
WHERE: Ukraine
WHEN: 1989-1996
NUMBER OF VICTIMS: 52 (and possibly more)
Onoprienkos mother died when he was four. His father would later turn him over to
an orphanage, while keeping his older brothers under his carea sad reality that
haunted Onoprienko for the rest of his life. When he was arrested in 1996,
Onoprienko was found to be in possession of numerous weapons and artifacts from
his victims, and he would eventually confess to the murder of 52 people. His pattern
of killing was to find an isolated home, cause a loud ruckus outside, before killing
the entire household starting with the husband, then the wife, and finally the
children. He would then burn the house down. If there were any witnesses at all,
they, too, would be killed. Onoprienko was found guilty but escaped capital
punishment, as Ukraine had recently abolished it. He died in prison in 2013 at the
age of 54.
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