The 'Sosnovsky Maniac' Andrei Kiyko likely killed in Ukraine war

Andrei Kiyko, a convicted serial killer known as the 'Sosnovsky Maniac', is believed to have been killed fighting in Ukraine. His relatives and fellow servicemen believe he went missing at the front, according to St. Petersburg outlet Fontanka.

Andrei Kiyko, the convicted serial killer from Russia known as the 'Sosnovsky Maniac', has likely been killed while fighting in Ukraine, according to reports from St. Petersburg investigative outlet Fontanka. His relatives and fellow servicemen believe he went missing at the front and is presumed dead.

Just a day before the latest report, Fontanka had published a story claiming that Kiyko had escaped from a military hospital and was being searched for by authorities in the Leningrad Oblast region. The subsequent update significantly changed the picture, suggesting the earlier escape story may have been incomplete or inaccurate.

Kiyko's case drew widespread attention in Russia as he was a notorious convicted criminal who was deployed to Ukraine as part of Russia's ongoing practice of recruiting prisoners for frontline service. Russia has faced significant international criticism for this approach, which has seen thousands of convicts — including violent offenders — sent to fight in Ukraine in exchange for pardons or reduced sentences.