September 12, 2024

A "Veteran" Killer and a Father's Tears


A "Veteran" Killer and a Father's Tears
Vladimir Alexandrov (left, face blurred) detained at a police station. 66 RU | Novosty iz Yekaterinburga, Telegram.

On August 31, a former convict who fought in Russia's War on Ukraine raped and killed an 11-year-old girl in Nizhny Tagil. On September 5, it was revealed that the victim's father was arrested for allegedly trying to stab him.

On August 31, Anastasia Yakina went missing in Nizhny Tagil. A few days later, her body was found in the flooded basement of a house. The girl presented signs of suffocation and traces of blood. Her hand was partially gnawed off. The killer was quickly identified as Vladimir Alexandrov, a family acquaintance and former convict drafted to fight in Russia's War on Ukraine.

Alexandrov lived in the building next door. The day before Anastasia disappeared, Alexandrov called her father, Alexander Yakin, to "eat meat." On August 31, he kidnapped the girl from her room. Days later, traces of blood were found in Alexandrov's apartment. The 40-year-old was caught in Moscow trying to go to back the front. He was sent to a pretrial detention center and plead guilty to murdering and raping a minor.

According to Vazhnye Istory, Alexandrov had several previous convictions. From 2002 to 2013, he was sentenced for hooliganism, death threats, assault, robbery, armed robbery, and involving minors in a crime. In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Alexandrov was in prison. It is unknown when his prison term was supposed to expire.

When police raided Alexandrov's apartment, they found a military uniform with a patch reading, in English, "Our business is death, and business is going well." Wagner Group mercenaries usually wear such emblems, suggesting the killer might have fought alongside them in Ukraine. 

On September 5, 66.RU revealed that Anastasia's father arrived with a knife at an investigation site where the murderer was present and that police arrested him. Anastasia's father denied attacking Alexandrov. According to him, he "came to the yard," where the police confiscated his knife, put him in a car, and handcuffed him. Regardless, he spent the night in jail and was released in the morning.

Alexandrov is part of a concerning trend of prisoners and former convicts serving in the war and committing more crimes when they return. According to Vazhnye Istory, Alexandrov wants to return to the front to escape his sentence. Yakin has asked that Alexandrov be forbidden from returning to the front. 

On September 5, after the first court hearing on his daughter's murder, Anastasia's father broke down in tears, saying, "The daughter I had was the best. She studied well. I can't speak anymore. She was the best child I had."

You Might Also Like

  • February 10, 2024

"I Breathed a Sigh of Relief"

The war has increased cases of domestic abuse, yet in one instance things went in an entirely different direction.
Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955