Mikhail Popkov. Anton Klimov / AFP.
Mikhail Popkov allegedly killed at least 80 women in Russia between 1992 and 2012. He referred to himself as a “cleanser” who rids his town of prostitutes.
Mikhail Popkov, nicknamed “the madman of Angarsk”, reappeared on Russian television sets. In an interview published on TV news Rossyia 1, he asked to join Wagner’s mercenaries to fight in Ukraine. But not immediately; in January and February he prefers to stay in prison because of “the great cold, because the frost is the worst [lui]”Entering the “Kremlin Army” would be “a dream” for him, especially since he would have “military training, which is more than required today”. “Even if I’ve been imprisoned for ten years, I don’t think that it will be difficult to learn everything again,” he said. The Wagner Group has not responded to his suggestion for the time being.
It must be said that the man has a rather heavy “résumé”. Mikhail Popkov was convicted of murdering no fewer than 80 women. First in 2015 for the murders of 22 women, then again in 2018 for a further 56 murders committed between 1992 and 2007. And again in 2021 for two more murders in 1995. Most of these crimes were committed in the city of Angarsk. a city in Siberia with 230,000 inhabitants.
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Before killing his victims, he would invite them into a car at night to often rape them, sometimes using his police vehicle outside of his duty hours. He described himself as a “cleanser” who cleaned his town of prostitutes. Only two women survived his attacks.
The criminal was obviously sensitive to Evgueni Prigojine’s appeal addressed to the prisoners who would have a desire for freedom: Only God and Allah will make you leave prison. I’ll get you out alive But not all will return. So guys, any questions?” shouted the Wagner boss to inmates at a Siberian prison last September. In mid-December, the White House had estimated Wagner’s workforce in Ukraine at 50,000 men: 10,000 mercenaries and 40,000 recruits from Russian prisons. These mercenaries are on the front lines of fighting in Soledar and Bakhmout, two cities in Donbass.
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