Every Town - The Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs - The Boys Who Filmed Their Horrific Crimes

Episode Date: March 15, 2024

Born within just two months of one another back in the Spring of 1988, Viktor Sayenko, Igor Suprunyuk and Alexander Hanzha were close friends who all grew up together in Ukraines fourth largest city, Dnipro, which was formally known as Dnipropetrovsk up until 2016. 👀 Watch This Episode On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/scarymysteries 🎧 Our Other Podcast Scary Mysteries: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZooEZMoZ421WdsOVJhVkT 💀 Exclusive Videos, Podcasts & Perks: https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries  👁 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew.fitzg 👁 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewfitzgerald 👁 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarymysteriesofficial 🗣 Business Inquiries, questions and comments hit us up at [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between.

With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime. Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everytown has a dark side. The serial killers are known for having cooling off periods between their murders. They give you John Wayne Gaseys, BTKs, Jeffrey Dahmer's, and all the rest.

While their M.O.s were all certainly unique and specific to the individual. They all committed the crimes for the thrill they'd derived from the act. Once they got their fix, it was enough to keep them satisfied for a bit. But eventually the craving crept up again and they had to go out and get their next victim. Spree killers are a different thing. In today's case revolves around just that. These sprees are described as the killing of three or more people within a 30-day period, and they're usually accompanied by another felony as well.

So while serial killers may have more of a twisted mind because they get pleasure from their acts, a spree killer is scary for a different reason, because they rack up a body count very quickly, which leaves many people vulnerable because it's all going down before most, Most people, even the authorities realize it. And 21 murders in the span of 22 days back in the summer of 2007 is what the Nipropetrosk maniacs managed to pull off before the authorities caught up with them. While that's almost a person every single day, they took several days off,

often clumping their kills into sets of two or three in a single night. Hey guys, it's Andrew. Thanks so much for tuning into this week's episode of Everytown. This topic is one that was suggested by one of our loyal Patreon members, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. This story is interesting on a few different levels, and if you're a regular listener here, I think you'll feel the same. Because this story is one that was seated when the teenagers involved were trying to fix their own insecurities. As they continued on, it turned into an extremely misguided movement. It's a commentary about a specific time and place in this world.

when the internet was just getting rolling, and that fact directly contributes to why this all happened as well. Let's head over to the Ukraine and dig into the story by the Nipro-Petrovsk maniacs. Born within just two months of one another back in the spring of 1988, Victor Sienko, Igor Supruniuk, and Alexander Hansa were all close friends who grew up together in Ukraine's fourth-largest city, Nipro, which was formerly known as Nipropetrov up until 2016.

By all accounts, these boys had what you would consider a normal upbringing. In fact, some may even say they grew up privileged and wealthy. Victor's father, for example, was a lawyer, and he would actually go on to represent his kid at his eventual trial for the killings he helped commit. Igor's dad, Vladimir, was a pilot, who often flew Ukraine's second president, Leonid Kuchma, so he too was well connected to the upper class in the country. There were some additional ties to law enforcement that the families had, but the point is these kids weren't growing up on the streets hungry or neglected by their parents.

They had access to everything they needed, a roof over their heads, clothes, and whatever else. And in the end, this factor may have actually been a catalyst for the gruesome crimes they committed. Because as they say, idle hands are the devil's playground, and perhaps because they had all their essentials covered, their minds were free to wander elsewhere, free to dream up ways to make their mark in the world, and cash in while doing so. In their early teenage years, Victor and Igor, admittedly, were not the most popular kids in school, as according to them, he lived in a perpetual state of fear of being bullied. It's unclear how true this statement is, as it was ultimately given after they had been apprehended, may have been used more as a ploy to get some sympathy

for their actions. Regardless, though, the story of how they graduated from seemingly everyday kids to cold-blooded killers begins around this notion, and can almost be pinpointed to one singular event in their lives. When the two of them were around 14 years old, they confided in one another about their shared fear of heights. Beyond just the fear itself, they hated the feeling of being scared in the masculine culture they grew up in and made them ashamed to feel so weak. And Victor apparently talked to some older kids about this. These were guys he admired from afar for their confidence, and in the end, they gave them some sound advice.

They told him that in order to get over it, he had to face his fears head on and dominate them. So, that's exactly what he did, quite literally. Up on the 14th floor of one of their family's apartments, Victor and Eager, decided to go out on the balcony and look over. At first, their stomachs were in knots, but once they got used to it, they decided to climb over the railing. And they survived, and with the adrenaline pumping and them feeling good, they then began to hang off it before pulling themselves back up.

They did this often. And just like that, they saw that they had conquered their fear, which gave them a sense of empowerment and pride, and they wanted more of it. They told their other friend Alexander about this, new-found high they had discovered, and how they saw the possibilities were endless with what they could accomplish if they just set their minds on something. Alexander himself had his own issues. He was possibly the meekest of the trio. He got squeamish at the sight of blood and also had a fear

of bathing his own cap because he thought he might burn it with the hot water. Alexander was sensitive and always was very delicate with his pet at all times, scared to accidentally hurt it. To get over all this, Victor said there was a clear path forward and that he needed to face this head on. He explained that Alexander needed to see more blood, lots more of it, and he also needed to actually harm an animal so he understood what that was actually like. In doing so, he would no longer be afraid. In no time at all, the boys then found themselves wandering the woods of their neighborhoods after school each day, with their pockets full of dog treats. Moving around, They used these to lure stray dogs to them, and from there, they did every terrible thing you could imagine to those poor, helpless animals.

They made sure to document it all as well. This was around the mid-2000s, and with everyone posting things online for the first time ever, these guys didn't want to miss out. And through all these things they did, the trio, now essentially created new personas for themselves. The once young and timid 14-year-olds were now 17, and grown. Growing stronger physically and mentally, dominating living creatures. In their own little world, they almost felt like gods, deciding when and how long these animals should live. So it was only a matter of time before they graduated

in order to take the next step in their evolution. They walked the halls of their high school with pride now, standing tall with their chests out. It didn't take long before they themselves found they had now turned into the bullies that they were so scared of just a few years back. One incident that was documented, although surely there were more, came as Igor saw a bike that he liked, so he beat up the kid who owned it and stole it. He went on to sell it to Victor, and the boys got caught for this crime. It was on their record,

though they didn't face any jail time because they were just 17 years old. And after graduating school, the trio would go on to dip their toes into various jobs. More as a means to pass the time than anything else as they plotted their grand scheme. Victor played the role of a security guard for a bit. Alexander worked construction and then was a pastry chef at one point. And Igor was gifted a brand new green Daulanos, which is just a very Euro-style compact sedan. The year was 2007 and so this was before Uber's existed.

Looking to make some cash on the side, Igor threw on some checkerboard markings on the car and just like that, he was now a taxi. Unlicensed, of course, but he'd pick people up, and as long as they paid in cash, he was good. It didn't take long for Igor to come up with the idea that instead of just taking the fare money from his passengers, and why not take it all? He enlisted the help of his comrades, and soon the trio was robbing anyone they felt they could get the upper hand on. But this wasn't enough, and they wanted more and more money. The three wanted it at all calm. The three wanted it at all cost. It was a constant topic of conversation for them. Trying to devise different ways they could

achieve their goals. They knew they needed something original. Perhaps something no one else was willing to do. And that's when they finally figured it all out. On June 25th of 2007, they put their plan into action. That night, after having tea with her friend, 33-year-old, Yacotarina Ilchenko, was headed home to her family's apartment. It was a large complex, and for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, this would be the last time anyone saw her alive again. Because Igor and Victor were out for a stroll that night as well, with Igor carrying a hammer in his hand that he kept concealed.

As they approached Ilchenko, as soon as they made it past her, Igor dropped the hammer, spun around and hit her square on the side of the head, dropping her to the ground. He gave a few more quick wax for good mechering. before running away. Ilchenko's own mother, and then find her lying there early the next morning. With their adrenaline pumping,

Victor needed to find his victim. It didn't take long for them to find him. The two 19-year-old simply roamed around the area when they saw Roman Teterrevich sleeping on a bench. Victor approached and smashed him in the head so hard the man never even woke up. He was so violent in the attack that the next day, when the man was discovered, his face was completely unrecognizable,

so dental records needed to be used to prove for sure who he was. And just like that, the boys were off and running. Their big grand plan, as reported by some media outlets and witnesses who had overheard them talking, was a get-rich-quick scheme that involved selling murder videos to a rich foreigner who was willing to pay big bucks for this type of stuff, which he would then post the dark corners of the web. You have to remember that this was back in 07, and the internet had much more of a wild-while West type of vibe going.

Websites like Rotten.com and lively clamored to show their audiences the most vile things they could find. The infamous Two Girls One Cup video had just become a huge hit, mainly from people recording their reactions to watching the disgusting fetish video. Now, if by some chance you don't know what that video is, well, good for you. Don't go looking it up because it's one of the ones. those things you can't unsee. Although, I'm sure if you've made it this far into this episode, then you're the type who's

typing it into Google right now. That's fine, but just know that you've been warned. These Ukrainian boys were looking to cash in on all that gore, and they figured they'd corner the market because who else was walking around the streets armed with a hammer? Nobody. One of the suspects' girlfriends at their trial said they were looking to make 40 different videos, and so they had a lot of work to do. These guys were out hunting for sport, and they saw this just as another form of entertainment. The fact that they were actually taking lives was an afterthought.

Two more victims, Virginia Groshenko and Nikolai Surchuk will go on to be found murdered on July 1st, just five days after the first victims. Both of them have been bludgeoned and then left on the street. And five days later, three more people were killed. The first was a recently discharged army recruit who was simply walking home from a night out at the club. Then right around the corner from him, a 28-year-old female security guard was bashed with their hammer. A little bit after that, the two then killed a mother of three, who also had a disabled husband. The authorities were searching for the perpetrators, but the randomness of it all and how fast these were all happening proved difficult for them. On July 7th, two 14-year-old boys who were out enjoying the nice summer weather and the town next door

had gone down to the Kilchin River to do some fishing. They found a nice isolated spot close to the woods, and that's when they were attacked. One of the boys, Andre Sidyuk, was killed, but the other, Vadim Lachov, took off running and managed to hide out in the woods. Vidim would then make it to the police to report what he had seen. The young boy was likely in a state of shock after watching what happened to his friend and barely escaping himself. His answers to the authorities' questions were a little bit off because of this. Unable to provide them with all the information they were looking for, the police then began to turn on him. They started thinking he may have killed his friend, and possibly the other people as well.

They placed him under arrest, denied him access to an attorney and even beat him up a bit during their interrogation. They knocked him around enough and still weren't getting the answers, which is when they began to realize that if he actually knew anything, then he would have talked by now. They eventually apologized and then got to working together with Vidim to drop some sketches of the real perpetrators of the crimes, which were then posted around town. The killing spree continued, though. July 12th had a male victim, and July 14th it was a female who was knocked off her scooter before being savagely attacked. and 13 more victims would be discovered in the coming days. Some of them were robbed of their valuables, but all of them were vulnerable to attack. These were elderly people, disabled, children, women, those who couldn't really put up a fight.

They were all spread out, and so tries they might, despite having a task force dedicated to catching the killers. The police were essentially hoping to just catch these guys in the act, unless they could figure out an plan. On July 23rd, Igor walked into a local pawn shop with a cell phone he was looking to get some money for. The store owner turned on the phone to check if it was working. And that's when police were alerted to its location. It had been stolen off one of the victims and an entire fleet of cop swooped in and arrested Igor right there next to the cash register. Right after that, Victor was brought in as well as Alexander, and they coldly confessed to the murderous acts they had done. The boy's cell phones and computers contained hundreds of images

and videos that documented many of the heinous acts they committed. They also showed that they had attended many of their victims' funerals, but they would pose with ear-to-ear grins, given the middle finger in front of coffins and gravestones. Igor had collected newspaper clippings, and printed out some images of the victims where he would write down notes and phrases. Under one of the bodies, he wrote, The weak must die, the strongest will conquer, which harkened back to the days they got over their fears by hanging off their balcony. It was a reminder of how far they had come and how they would never go back to being a victim again. One of their videos they played at trial was actually leaked onto the internet, which they had named three guys, one hammer. In the four-minute

video, it shows the murder of 48-year-old Sergei Yitzenko. It involves a screwdriver, a plastic bag, and it shows the boys taking turns, stabbing the man and laughing. When they're done, they wash their hands with a bottle of water. As they calmly discuss how they were surprised, he lasted so long. It's one of the more morbid things you'll ever see, not just because of what's happening, but because it gives a chilling insight into how they lacked any form of compassion and respect for human life. In the end, Alexander would end up serving nine years behind me. bars before being released in 2019.

While he was originally part of the robberies that took place in Igor's taxi, he was found innocent and having any involvement in the actual murders. He said this about his two former friends. If I had known the atrocities that they were capable of committing, I would have not gone near them at gunpoint. Igor and Victor were found guilty on 21 counts of murder, eight armed robberies and one count of animal cruelty were sentenced to life and prison, which is likely where they'll stay despite a couple of appeal attempts. And so, that is the

story of the Nipropetrov maniacs. Are they psycho-killers or more product of their environment? It's hard to say for sure, and likely it's a little bit of both, but in my opinion, if they were born in a different time and were not 19 years old in 2007, when the internet was in the state it was, I'm not so sure they ever would have gone down this path. But they did, and thankfully, they finally got calm. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Go check out this episode in video form over on our YouTube channel called Scary Mysteries.

And if you want more podcasts from us, check out the Scary Mysteries podcast. Thanks for tuning in today. Remember to come back next week for another episode filled with Scary Strange and Mysterious Stories. Because you never know. Maybe your town will be next.