imported>B.J: Reverted edits by ~2026-38582-78 (talk): not adhering to neutral point of view (HG) (3.4.14)

2026-07-06T12:22:27Z

Reverted edits by ~2026-38582-78 (talk): not adhering to neutral point of view (HG) (3.4.14)

imported>R'n'B: Disambiguating links to Soviet Army (link changed to Soviet Ground Forces) using DisamAssist.

2025-12-30T15:06:08Z

Disambiguating links to Soviet Army (link changed to Soviet Ground Forces) using DisamAssist.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 15:06, 30 December 2025
Line 2:		Line 2:
	{{Family name hatnote\|Romanovich\|Chikatilo\|lang=Eastern Slavic}}		{{Family name hatnote\|Romanovich\|Chikatilo\|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
	{{Use Oxford spelling\|date=February 2025}}		{{Use Oxford spelling\|date=February 2025}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=November ~~2024~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2025}}
	{{Infobox serial killer		{{Infobox serial killer
	\| name = Andrei Chikatilo		\| name = Andrei Chikatilo
Line 16:		Line 16:
	\| death_date = {{death date and age\|1994\|2\|14\|1936\|10\|16\|df=yes}}		\| death_date = {{death date and age\|1994\|2\|14\|1936\|10\|16\|df=yes}}
	\| death_place = [[Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast]], Russia		\| death_place = [[Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast]], Russia
	\| death_cause = [[Execution by shooting]]		\| death_cause = [[Execution by shooting]]
	\| victims = 52 convicted<br/>53 tried<br/>56+ claimed		\| victims = 52 convicted<br/>53 tried<br/>56+ claimed
	\| motive = {{hlist\|[[Sexual sadism disorder\|Sexual sadism]]\|[[Rage (emotion)\|Rage]]}}<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/15/world/russian-court-finds-ex-teacher-guilty-in-the-killing-of-52.html\|title=Russian Court Finds Ex-Teacher Guilty In the Killing of 52\|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]\|agency=[[Associated Press]]\|date=15 October 1992\|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>		\| motive = {{hlist\|[[Sexual sadism disorder\|Sexual sadism]]\|[[Rage (emotion)\|Rage]]<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/15/world/russian-court-finds-ex-teacher-guilty-in-the-killing-of-52.html\|title=Russian Court Finds Ex-Teacher Guilty In the Killing of 52\|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]\|agency=[[Associated Press]]\|date=15 October 1992\|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>}}
	\| country = Soviet Union		\| country = Soviet Union
	\| beginyear = 22 December 1978		\| beginyear = 22 December 1978
Line 36:		Line 36:
	==Early life==		==Early life==
	===Childhood===		===Childhood===
	Andrei Chikatilo{{refn\|group=n\|Chikatilo's first name is also [[WP:RUS\|transliterated]] as '''Andrey'''.}} was born on 16 October 1936 in the village of Yabluchne {{small\|[<nowiki/>[[:uk:Яблучне (Великописарівський район)\|uk]]<nowiki/>]}} in the [[Sumy Oblast]] of the Ukrainian SSR. At the time of his birth, Ukraine was recovering from a [[Holodomor\|severe famine]] caused by [[Joseph Stalin]]'s forced [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union\|collectivization]] of agriculture.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=212}}<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/andre-chikatilo-the-rostov-ripper/biography.html\|title=Andrei Chikatilo: The Rostov Ripper\|website=crimeandinvestigation.co.uk\|date=29 September 2009\|access-date=19 April 2019\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130063046/http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/andre-chikatilo-the-rostov-ripper/biography.html\|archive-date=30 January 2010 }}</ref> Chikatilo's parents were both [[Collective farming#Communist collectivization\|collective farm]] labourers who lived in a one-room hut.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=~~207~~}} ~~They received~~ no wages for their work, but instead ~~received~~ the right to cultivate a plot of land behind the family hut.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}}		Andrei Chikatilo{{refn\|group=n\|Chikatilo's first name is also [[WP:RUS\|transliterated]] as '''Andrey'''.}} was born on 16 October 1936 in the village of Yabluchne {{small\|[<nowiki/>[[:uk:Яблучне (Великописарівський район)\|uk]]<nowiki/>]}} in the [[Sumy Oblast]] of the Ukrainian SSR. At the time of his birth, Ukraine was recovering from a [[Holodomor\|severe famine]] caused by [[Joseph Stalin]]'s forced [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union\|collectivization]] of agriculture.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=212}}<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/andre-chikatilo-the-rostov-ripper/biography.html\|title=Andrei Chikatilo: The Rostov Ripper\|website=crimeandinvestigation.co.uk\|date=29 September 2009\|access-date=19 April 2019\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130063046/http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/andre-chikatilo-the-rostov-ripper/biography.html\|archive-date=30 January 2010 }}</ref> Chikatilo's parents were both [[Collective farming#Communist collectivization\|collective farm]] labourers who lived in a one-room hut,{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=213}} receiving no wages for their work, but instead having the right to cultivate a plot of land behind the family hut.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}}

	The family rarely had sufficient food; Chikatilo himself later claimed not to have eaten bread until the age of 12,{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=141}} adding that he and his family often had to eat grass and leaves in an effort to stave off hunger.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} Throughout his childhood, Chikatilo was repeatedly told by his mother Anna that prior to his birth, an older brother of his named Stepan had, at the age of four, been kidnapped and [[human cannibalism\|cannibalized]] by starving neighbours.<ref name="CanberaTimes">{{cite news\|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126949436\|title='Rostov Ripper' to be Shot\|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]\|agency=[[Associated Press]]\|date=16 October 1992\|access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> However, it has never been established whether this incident actually occurred, or if a Stepan Chikatilo even existed.<ref name="news.google.com">{{cite news\|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19920420&id=JMFUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4499,3916322\|title=Russian Serial Killer 'Had a Disturbed Past'\|newspaper=[[New Straits Times]]\|date=20 April 1992\|access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref>{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=212}} Nonetheless, Chikatilo recalled his childhood as being blighted by poverty, ridicule, hunger, and war.<ref name="news.google.com"/>		The family rarely had sufficient food; Chikatilo himself later claimed not to have eaten bread until the age of 12,{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=141}} adding that he and his family often had to eat grass and leaves in an effort to stave off hunger.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} Throughout his childhood, Chikatilo was repeatedly told by his mother Anna that prior to his birth, an older brother of his named Stepan had, at the age of four, been kidnapped and [[human cannibalism\|cannibalized]] by starving neighbours.<ref name="CanberaTimes">{{cite news\|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126949436\|title='Rostov Ripper' to be Shot\|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]\|agency=[[Associated Press]]\|date=16 October 1992\|access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> However, it has never been established whether this incident actually occurred, or if a Stepan Chikatilo even existed.<ref name="news.google.com">{{cite news\|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19920420&id=JMFUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4499,3916322\|title=Russian Serial Killer 'Had a Disturbed Past'\|newspaper=[[New Straits Times]]\|date=20 April 1992\|access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref>{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=212}} Nonetheless, Chikatilo recalled his childhood as being blighted by poverty, ridicule, hunger, and war.<ref name="news.google.com"/>
Line 42:		Line 42:
	When the [[Soviet Union]] entered the [[Second World War]], Chikatilo's father, Roman, was [[conscription\|conscripted]] into the [[Red Army]]. He would later be taken prisoner after being wounded in combat.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=133–134}} Between 1941 and 1944, Chikatilo witnessed some of the effects of the [[Reichskommissariat Ukraine\|Nazi occupation of Ukraine]], which he described as "horrors", adding he witnessed bombings, fires, and shootings from which he and his mother would hide in cellars and ditches.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=113}} On one occasion, Chikatilo and his mother were forced to watch their own hut burn to the ground.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}} With his father at war, mother and son shared a single bed. Chikatilo was a [[Nocturnal enuresis\|chronic bed wetter]], and his mother berated and beat him for each offence.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=213}}		When the [[Soviet Union]] entered the [[Second World War]], Chikatilo's father, Roman, was [[conscription\|conscripted]] into the [[Red Army]]. He would later be taken prisoner after being wounded in combat.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=133–134}} Between 1941 and 1944, Chikatilo witnessed some of the effects of the [[Reichskommissariat Ukraine\|Nazi occupation of Ukraine]], which he described as "horrors", adding he witnessed bombings, fires, and shootings from which he and his mother would hide in cellars and ditches.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=113}} On one occasion, Chikatilo and his mother were forced to watch their own hut burn to the ground.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}} With his father at war, mother and son shared a single bed. Chikatilo was a [[Nocturnal enuresis\|chronic bed wetter]], and his mother berated and beat him for each offence.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=213}}

	In 1943, Chikatilo's mother gave birth to a baby girl, Tatyana. Because Chikatilo's father had been conscripted in 1941, he could not have fathered this child. As many Ukrainian women were [[War crimes of the Wehrmacht#Rape\|raped by German soldiers]] during the war, it has been speculated Tatyana was conceived as a result of such a rape. As Chikatilo and his mother ~~lived~~ in a one-room hut, this rape may have been committed in Chikatilo's presence.{{sfn\|Kalman\|2014\|p=180}}		In 1943, Chikatilo's mother gave birth to a baby girl, Tatyana. Because Chikatilo's father had been conscripted in 1941, he could not have fathered this child. As many Ukrainian women were [[War crimes of the Wehrmacht#Rape\|raped by German soldiers]] during the war, 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 rape may have been committed in Chikatilo's presence.{{sfn\|Kalman\|2014\|p=180}}

	In September 1944,{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} ~~Chikatilo began his schooling.~~ Although shy and ardently studious as a child, he was physically weak and regularly attended school in homespun clothing~~. His~~ stomach ~~was~~ often swollen from hunger resulting from the [[Soviet famine of 1946–47\|post-war famine]] which plagued much of the Soviet Union.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} On several occasions, this hunger caused Chikatilo to faint both at home and school,{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}} and he was consistently targeted by bullies who regularly mocked him over his physical stature and timid nature.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=214–215}} At home, Chikatilo and his sister were constantly berated by their mother. Tatyana later recalled that despite the hardships endured by her parents, their father was a kind man, whereas their mother was harsh and unforgiving toward her children.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=213}}		In September 1944, Chikatilo began his schooling.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} Although shy and ardently studious as a child, he was physically weak and regularly attended school in homespun clothing, his stomach often swollen from hunger resulting from the [[Soviet famine of 1946–47\|post-war famine]] which plagued much of the Soviet Union.{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=143}} On several occasions, this hunger caused Chikatilo to faint both at home and school,{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=262}} and he was consistently targeted by bullies who regularly mocked him over his physical stature and timid nature.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=214–215}} At home, Chikatilo and his sister were constantly berated by their mother. Tatyana later recalled that despite the hardships endured by her parents, their father was a kind man, whereas their mother was harsh and unforgiving toward her children.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=213}}

	Chikatilo developed a passion for reading and memorizing data. He often studied at home, both to increase his sense of self-worth and to compensate for his [[myopia]], which often prevented him from reading the classroom blackboard. To his teachers, Chikatilo was an excellent student upon whom they would regularly bestow praise and commendation.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=262–263}}		Chikatilo developed a passion for reading and memorizing data. He often studied at home, both to increase his sense of self-worth and to compensate for his [[myopia]], which often prevented him from reading the classroom blackboard. To his teachers, Chikatilo was an excellent student upon whom they would regularly bestow praise and commendation.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|pp=262–263}}
Line 56:		Line 56:

	===Army service===		===Army service===
	Upon completion of his two-year vocational training, Chikatilo relocated to the [[Ural Federal District\|Urals]] city of [[Nizhny Tagil]]{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=19}} to work upon a long-term construction project. While living in Nizhny Tagil, he also undertook [[correspondence course]]s in engineering with the Moscow Electrotechnical Institute of Communication. He worked in the Urals for two years until he was drafted into the [[Soviet Army]] in 1957. Chikatilo performed his compulsory military service between 1957 and 1960,{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=20}} assigned first to serve with [[Soviet Border Troops\|border guards]] in Central Asia, then to a [[KGB]] communications unit in [[East Berlin]]. Here, his work record was unblemished, and he joined the Communist Party shortly before his military service ended in 1960.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=218}}		Upon completion of his two-year vocational training, Chikatilo relocated to the [[Ural Federal District\|Urals]] city of [[Nizhny Tagil]]{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=19}} to work upon a long-term construction project. While living in Nizhny Tagil, he also undertook [[correspondence course]]s in engineering with the Moscow Electrotechnical Institute of Communication. He worked in the Urals for two years until he was drafted into the [[Soviet Ground Forces\|Soviet Army]] in 1957. Chikatilo performed his compulsory military service between 1957 and 1960,{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=20}} assigned first to serve with [[Soviet Border Troops\|border guards]] in Central Asia, then to a [[KGB]] communications unit in [[East Berlin]]. Here, his work record was unblemished, and he joined the Communist Party shortly before his military service ended in 1960.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=218}}

	Upon completing his service, Chikatilo returned to his native village to live with his parents, briefly working alongside them on the collective farm. He soon became acquainted with a young divorcée. Their three-month relationship ended after several unsuccessful attempts at intercourse, after which the woman innocently asked her friends for advice as to how Chikatilo might overcome his inability to maintain an erection.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=265}} As a result, most of his peers discovered his impotence. In a 1993 interview regarding this incident, Chikatilo stated: "Girls were going behind my back, whispering that I was impotent. I was so ashamed. I tried to hang myself. My mother and some young neighbours pulled me out of the noose. Well, I thought no one would want such a shamed man. So I had to run away from there, away from my homeland."{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=265}}		Upon completing his service, Chikatilo returned to his native village to live with his parents, briefly working alongside them on the collective farm. He soon became acquainted with a young divorcée. Their three-month relationship ended after several unsuccessful attempts at intercourse, after which the woman innocently asked her friends for advice as to how Chikatilo might overcome his inability to maintain an erection.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=265}} As a result, most of his peers discovered his impotence. In a 1993 interview regarding this incident, Chikatilo stated: "Girls were going behind my back, whispering that I was impotent. I was so ashamed. I tried to hang myself. My mother and some young neighbours pulled me out of the noose. Well, I thought no one would want such a shamed man. So I had to run away from there, away from my homeland."{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=265}}
Line 219:		Line 219:

	==Surveillance and second arrest==		==Surveillance and second arrest==
	Police placed Chikatilo under surveillance on 14 November. In several instances, particularly on trains or buses, he was observed approaching lone young women or children and engaging them in conversation. If the woman or child broke off the conversation, Chikatilo would wait a few minutes and then seek another conversation partner.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=192}} On 20 November, after six days of surveillance, Chikatilo left his house with a large jar, which he had filled with beer at a small kiosk in a local park{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=175}} before he wandered around Novocherkassk, attempting to make contact with children he met on his way.<ref name="330 page"/> Upon exiting a cafe, Chikatilo was arrested by four plainclothes police officers. He offered no resistance as he was handcuffed and placed inside an unmarked police car.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=193}}		Police placed Chikatilo under surveillance on 14 November 1990. In several instances, particularly on trains or buses, he was observed approaching lone young women or children and engaging them in conversation. If the woman or child broke off the conversation, Chikatilo would wait a few minutes and then seek another conversation partner.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=192}} On 20 November, after six days of surveillance, Chikatilo left his house with a large jar, which he had filled with beer at a small kiosk in a local park{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=175}} before he wandered around Novocherkassk, attempting to make contact with children he met on his way.<ref name="330 page"/> Upon exiting a cafe, Chikatilo was arrested by four plainclothes police officers. He offered no resistance as he was handcuffed and placed inside an unmarked police car.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=193}}

	Upon his arrest, Chikatilo gave a statement claiming that the police were mistaken and complained that he had also been arrested in 1984 for the same series of murders.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=181}} A strip-search of the suspect revealed a further piece of evidence: one of Chikatilo's fingers had a deep flesh wound he had self-treated with [[Iodine (medical use)\|iodine]]. Medical examiners concluded the wound was from a human bite. Chikatilo's penultimate victim, Viktor Tishchenko, was a physically strong youth. At the crime scene, the police found numerous signs of a ferocious physical struggle between the victim and his murderer. Although a finger bone was later found to be broken and his fingernail had been bitten off, Chikatilo had never sought medical treatment for this injury.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=177}}		Upon his arrest, Chikatilo gave a statement claiming that the police were mistaken and complained that he had also been arrested in 1984 for the same series of murders.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=181}} A strip-search of the suspect revealed a further piece of evidence: one of Chikatilo's fingers had a deep flesh wound he had self-treated with [[Iodine (medical use)\|iodine]]. Medical examiners concluded the wound was from a human bite. Chikatilo's penultimate victim, Viktor Tishchenko, was a physically strong youth. At the crime scene, the police found numerous signs of a ferocious physical struggle between the victim and his murderer. Although a finger bone was later found to be broken and his fingernail had been bitten off, Chikatilo had never sought medical treatment for this injury.{{sfn\|Cullen\|1994\|p=177}}

imported>Gawaon: Restored revision 1321666120 by Kieronoldham (talk): Most of the added links aren't needed, especially if they are red or lead to the wrong page (e.g. a sprinter instead of a forensic analyst)

2025-11-20T09:57:10Z

Restored revision 1321666120 by Kieronoldham (talk): Most of the added links aren't needed, especially if they are red or lead to the wrong page (e.g. a sprinter instead of a forensic analyst)

Show changes

imported>Gawaon: Undid revision 1297153841 by Commandant Quacks-a-lot (talk) – old version seems fine and grammatically preferable

2025-06-24T12:44:59Z

Undid revision 1297153841 by Commandant Quacks-a-lot (talk) – old version seems fine and grammatically preferable

← Previous revision		Revision as of 12:44, 24 June 2025
Line 23:		Line 23:
	\| endyear =  6 November 1990		\| endyear =  6 November 1990
	\| apprehended = 20 November 1990		\| apprehended = 20 November 1990
	\| conviction = ~~{{hlist\|~~[[Aggravated murder\|Murder with aggravating circumstances]]\|[[Sexual abuse]]\|[[Sexual assault]]}}		\| conviction = [[Aggravated murder\|Murder with aggravating circumstances]] (52 counts)<br>[[Sexual abuse]]<br>[[Sexual assault]]
	\| sentence = [[Capital punishment\|Death]]		\| sentence = [[Capital punishment in Russia\|Death]]
	\| conviction_status = [[Executed]]		\| conviction_status = [[Executed]]
	}}		}}
Line 61:		Line 61:

	==Move to Rostov-on-Don==		==Move to Rostov-on-Don==
	After several months, Chikatilo found a job as a [[Telecommunications engineering\|communications engineer]] in a town ~~located~~ north of [[Rostov-on-Don]]. He relocated to the [[Russian SFSR]] in 1961, renting a small apartment close to his workplace. The same year, his younger sister, Tatyana, finished her schooling and moved into his apartment (his parents relocated to the Rostov region shortly thereafter).{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=157}} Tatyana lived with her brother for six months before marrying a local youth and moving into her in-laws' home; she noted nothing untoward with regard to her brother's lifestyle beyond his chronic shyness around women, and resolved to help her brother find a wife and start a family.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|pp=24–25}}		After several months, Chikatilo found a job as a [[Telecommunications engineering\|communications engineer]] in the town of [[Rodionovo-Nesvetayskaya]], twenty miles north of [[Rostov-on-Don]].{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|p=23}} He relocated to the [[Russian SFSR]] in 1961, renting a small apartment close to his workplace. The same year, his younger sister, Tatyana, finished her schooling and moved into his apartment (his parents relocated to the Rostov region shortly thereafter).{{sfn\|Krivich\|1993\|p=157}} Tatyana lived with her brother for six months before marrying a local youth and moving into her in-laws' home; she noted nothing untoward with regard to her brother's lifestyle beyond his chronic shyness around women, and resolved to help her brother find a wife and start a family.{{sfn\|Conradi\|1992\|pp=24–25}}

	===Marriage===		===Marriage===

imported>Kieronoldham: Missing word.

2025-06-15T19:02:52Z

Missing word.

Show changes

imported>Lightiggy: Specified categories

2025-05-30T20:37:36Z

Specified categories

Show changes

Andrei Chikatilo - Revision history

imported>B.J: Reverted edits by ~2026-38582-78 (talk): not adhering to neutral point of view (HG) (3.4.14)

imported>R'n'B: Disambiguating links to Soviet Army (link changed to Soviet Ground Forces) using DisamAssist.

imported>Gawaon: Restored revision 1321666120 by Kieronoldham (talk): Most of the added links aren't needed, especially if they are red or lead to the wrong page (e.g. a sprinter instead of a forensic analyst)

imported>Gawaon: Undid revision 1297153841 by Commandant Quacks-a-lot (talk) – old version seems fine and grammatically preferable

imported>Kieronoldham: Missing word.

imported>Lightiggy: Specified categories