Artyom Anoufriev And Nikita Lytkin: Copycat Teenage Serial Killers Of Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs
By Liam Enoch
Source: BIZARREPEDIA
Artyom Anoufriev and Nikita Lytkin were social outcasts who hated society and humankind. The teenage misanthropes shocked Russian society by attacking seemingly random victims with a mallet and knife. Because the attacks always occurred from behind, the survivors were unable to give any significant details to the investigators.
The serial killers claimed a total of 15 victims — six died, at least one of the attack was videotaped and circulated in Russian social networks, showing the dead body of a woman being mutilated with a knife. The camera used to record the attack belonged to Nikita’s uncle, who found SD card with a gruesome video of murdering their last victim Alevtina Kuydin.
Because the attacks occurred in and around the area of Akademgorodok (Academy Town in English) in Irkutsk, the two were dubbed as The Academy Maniacs.
Warning! This page might contain graphic language, images and videos that some viewers might find disturbing. Not appropriate for children under the age of 18.
Artyom Anoufriev & Nikita Lytkin
The two devils met at a birthday party of a mutual friend, in fact, the boys didn’t have many friends at all and were withdrawn from society. They boys clicked instantly, they were both in a deep depression, had similar social backgrounds and hated society.
Artyom Anoufriev. Source: BIZARREPEDIA
Artyom grew up without a father, at the trial his childhood conditions were described only in positive terms. But his upbringing was anything but normal, his mother Nina, who worked as an accountant for an insurance company, taught his son to hate people, liked to humiliate him publicly and told that he’s always surrounded by enemies.
For some time, Artyom was part of a white-power skinhead and even took part in the nationalists demonstration called Russian March. At the trial, Artyom’s mother told her son was beaten by a group of Armenians, which left him psychologically damaged. However, there is an opposite version of the conflict – Artyom insulted an Armenian family in social networks.
Nikita Lytkin. Source: BIZARREPEDIA
Nikita was raised by her single mother, who worked as a clerk in a shoe store. His father tried to fix the troubled relationship with the family several times, but always left, which made young Nikita even more frustrated.
During the investigation, his mother Marina called the main reason for her son’s criminal and antisocial behaviour the absence of a father.
Killing spree
The boys were impressed by the notorious Russian serial killer Alexander Pichushkin, also known as The Chessboard Killer, who aim was to kill 64 people – the number of squares on a chessboard. And also by so-called Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs, the Ukrainian serial killers, who recorded gruesome videos of their killings, hoping to get rich one day with the material they produced. On the Internet, Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs are better known by the video named 3 guys 1 hammer.
The Hunt
The hunt for victims began every day at 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Sometimes they searched for weeks for a right victim – someone weak, unable to give resistance.
Before claiming their first victim, the duo wanted to practice the act of killing. They knocked 18-year-old Anastasia Markov’s head with a mallet and ran away, thankfully the girl survived. A little later they undertook an unknown woman in a similar manner and stole her bag.
- The killing spree started in 1st of December 2010, when 12-year-old Danil Semyonov was picked out. Unknowingly, his head was knocked with a mallet and finished off with a baseball bat.
- December 16, 2010 — The lifeless body of a 69-year-old of Olga was found – just 20 yards from the murder scene of little Danil Semyonov. On her body there were as many as 30 stab wounds, but her valuables were left untouched. Because Danil’s murder was ruled out as an accident, investigators were unable to make the connection between the two incidents. Artyom and Nikita made an audio recording in which they talked about their plan to kill someone. They also recorded the process of killing, which they later released in a social network.
- January 1, 2011 — An unknown man’s skull was broken with a mallet. The poor man dies at the hospital. Being homeless, he’s identified as Corpse Number 20.
- February 21, 2011 — The next victim was Alexander Maximov, who just wanted to go home after a few drinks. He was found with completely broken jaw and head. The sick duo tried to extract the eyeballs of the victim but couldn’t, because of ignorance about human anatomy.
- March 11, 2011 — Another homeless man, Roman Fayzullina, was shot twice in the head with an air gun, repeatedly beaten and stabbed to death. Nikita tried to cut off the hand, but the knife used was too small, so they got along with a little finger. Later that night, Artyom photographed the corpse out of his apartment window.
- April 3, 2011 — The last victim was, again homeless, Alevtina Kuydin was killed in a similar manner as the rest of the victims. But this time the boys decided to videotape their latest accomplishment, on the video you can see them mock their dead victim, trying to cut off an earlobe, a wrist, and eyeballs, but again find it difficult. Later they decide to leave the earlobe in front of a high school.
Nikita’s uncle found an SD card with the very same horrific video and imminently reports the authorities. The video is hosted on LiveLeak, but make sure you really want to see it, it’s extremely graphic. I warned you. Here’s the link.
A rough transcript of the video:
Recording?
Yes
A hobo! Haha
No one there?
Fuck them
[Stabs in the head]
Fuck, I can’t fucking touch it
Don’t touch anything!
[Ear cutting]
Faster, there’s nothing interesting
But that’s scary, uh bitch! (They are afraid someone will see them)
[Stops cutting, sticks a knife in the eye]
Uh, that’s disgusting! What to do?
Cut off her hand
Fuck it! An ear is fine too
Okay, let’s go
Source: BIZARREPEDIA
Arrest and aftermath
Artyom was sentenced to life in a special regime colony, when given word after the sentence, Artyom claimed he can’t be fascist, because his grandfather was a veteran of World War II. He pleaded guilty only in one murder.
At the time of his crimes, Nikita was underage and received 24 years.
The boy’s YouTube channel still exists.