Talk:Andrei Chikatilo

Identity of the impregnator

@Kieronoldham I took this here because I don't want to violate 3RR. What do you have against the word "possible"? Why editwar on this? You wrote the following in your edit summary: It is already mentioned this was speculation. Given the atrocities as the Nazis moved forth, I very much doubt she consented or that the soldier or soldiers involved were benign or patient.

What soldiers? You are adding speculation to the speculation! The next step is guessing their names (Helmut? Fritz?) and size. Who knows, maybe his mother was just very kinky, and had a lover in the village. At the present time, there is no way of knowing, bless her soul.

I think your speculation actually underlines my point, about how careful we must be with delving into hypothetics inside the mainspace. You might have trapped yourself in your own net, if you see what I mean. Shoshin000 (talk) 22:52, 11 January 2026 (UTC)

I may weigh in here too, since I had reverted your edit the first time. With your proposed addition, the text would read: "It has been speculated Tatyana was conceived as a result of such a rape. With Chikatilo and his mother living together in a one-room hut, this possible rape may have been committed in Chikatilo's presence." This expresses three times that it's speculation: "speculated", "possible", and "may". The "may" is needed since it introduces a new speculation (Chikatilo may been present), but that the rape itself is a mere speculation/possibility has already been clearly expressed in the first sentence, hence there's no need to mark it again by adding the word "possible". We may assume readers whose attention span is longer than one sentence, so when something is marked as speculation in one sentence, there's no need to mark it again in the text one. Assuming our readers have already forgotten what was said in the previous sentence would mean dumbing the text down more than they deserve. Gawaon (talk) 03:05, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

All I will add to this (as Gawaon has already explained much of that I would have written myself), is that several references include the content that his mother, Anna, was likely gang r ped by German soldiers. The references contain this info. One also indicates that if Chikatilo witnessed this, it may have been a major factor in his inability to sustain an erection. Everything is referenced.--Kieronoldham (talk) 18:39, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

I saw only one reference?

Is this something that Chikatilo himself or investigators have hinted towards, or just speculated by outside sources? Shoshin000 (talk) 12:02, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

at this point, it does not matter. The matter has been addressed as best as possible and that is good enough for me. Paleface Jack (talk) 19:17, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Kravchenko victim.

The girl who Aleksandr Kravchenko, the man wrongfully executed for the murder of Chikatilo’s first victim, had actually murdered at the age of 17 was not a teenager, she was 10 year old Galya Tsyplyuk. The information can be found in multiple Russian sources, a language I can’t speak or read. I’m not sure if this href="https://subota.online/bylo-strashno-vydet-ee-vzhliad/"</a> particular source, a Russian true crime site, is “good” enough so I changed “teenage girl” to just “young girl”.

If this source doesn’t meet the criteria, I hope a Russian or Ukrainian speaker can locate a better one. I’ve read the information here before elsewhere and hope the relevant parts can be properly incorporated into the article. I’m holding off on adding specifics for now.GladeMist (talk) 21:20, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Don't know if that is a reliable source. A lot of printed English-language sources state the victim was a teenager, and that Kravchenko was sentenced to serve seven years.--Kieronoldham (talk) 22:20, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Every Russian source I can find, of which these are just a few, including the Russian wikipedia’s article on Lena’s murder for which Kravchenko was wrongfully executed, says that the girl was 10. (except for the second I included which mistakenly states that she was 9) The girl’s name is also found in a number of places.

The details are all the same, at 17 he lured a 10 year old girl into the home he shared with his parents where he raped and murdered her and subsequently gouged out her eyes. The correct story is all over the place. Kravchenko got off extremely lightly due to the fact that he had not yet turned 18 when he committed the crime. He did 6 years in prison and was released.

https://www.herson.kp.ru/daily/27768/5227585/

https://diletant.media/articles/38993635/

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Убийство_Елены_Закотновой

https://crimescience.ru/news/5-iyulya-istoriya-kriminalnyx-sobytij.html

GladeMist (talk) GladeMist (talk) 23:59, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

I don't know if the crimescience.ru/news is reliable, but doesn't the Cyrillic text there read that her name was Galina Tsypsliak? 10 "lyet"?--Kieronoldham (talk) 00:28, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I think that’s simply an error, just like the other site stating that she was 9 years old. Her name was Galina Tsyplyak, she was raped and murdered at the age of 10 by an intoxicated 17 year old Kravchenko who subsequenty gouged out her eyes and buried her in the home’s garden on July 13th of 1970. The true story of Kravchenko’s crime is all over the Russian language internet and is cited on the Russian Wikipedia page detailing Lena’s murder with credible sources. He was given an extremely light sentence as he had not yet turned 18 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, then released after serving 6 years. This is also cited on the Russian language page for Lena’s murder.GladeMist (talk) 23:54, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I am no expert on what Russian language sites are credible and which are not. From what I can see, the references on there are unreliable (or most of them). I can read Russian probably to the degree of, at best, a five- or six-year-old. The references used on the Russian Wiki. site are 'serial-killers.ru' etc. and not reliable. I don't know what the reference there with Nikolai Nikaolaevich Kumaev in blue text fully reads? What is the true redirect to the Aleksandr Perlin reference used in the Zakotnova Russian Wiki. page?--Kieronoldham (talk) 01:46, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

This article states on 13 July '70 g., he killed 10-year-old "Galyoo Tsyplyak" but I don't know if this ref. is an integral source. There must be a reference in a printed literature source?--Kieronoldham (talk) 02:10, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

The proper transliteration of her name is “Galya Tsyplyak”; Galya is a nickname for Galina, “Galyoo” is just an error in transliterating Cyrillic into Latin.

The secondary reference on the Russian wiki article about the Zakotnova case regarding Tsyplyak is an archived copy of yet another true crime site. Not exactly what I’d call a “reliable source”. On it however, I found what is supposedly the transcript of the actual court document from Kravchenko’s conviction and sentencing for the murder of Zakotnova. It fully describes the murder he actually committed, that of Tsyplyak in Kherson, which had been the primary reason he was suspected in Zakotnova’s case. It appears legitimate, tracking down another transcript of this document from a more reputable source would solve the issue here.

https://web.archive.org/web/20131212012211/http://www.serial-killers.ru/materials/prigovor-kravchenko.htm GladeMist (talk) 03:16, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, GladeMist. Personally, I do believe the info. you are giving here is true and hope it can be added on this article. A verifiable source added here, could warrant the insertion of the info? A trustworthy internet link would be the best way. All the best and sincere thanks. :) (By the way, despite my limited knowledge of Russian, I know "Galya/Galyoo" is an abbreviation for "Galina" - just like "Sveta", "Nastya" etc. they are all cute names)--Kieronoldham (talk) 04:17, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

Total Victim Count

Additionally Chikatilo while Chikatilo had earlier confessed to 56 murders, including the 52 of which he was convicted, three unidentified early victims who have never been found along with that of Armenian runaway Laura Sarkisyn of which the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, he ultimatelu confessed to one additional murder prior to his execution, that of Irina Pogoryelova of which he’d long been the presumed culprit but had long denied. Irina’s murder makes for 57 total victims. GladeMist (talk) 00:09, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Scattered bones of a girl in her early- to mid-teens were found at an unmarked railway platform where Cikatilo confessed to having murdered Sarkisyan. He also picked out her photo. from an array. He consistently stated that there were 56 victims including the three committed in the Shakhty area in the early 1980s whom investigators were unable to match to missing persons records. He was consistent with the claims of those three (which makes 56), but denied specifically Pogoryelova. He changed his stance at the trial. 56 was consistent. Infobox says '56+'. Surely that is more accurate?--Kieronoldham (talk) 00:18, 25 April 2026 (UTC)