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Russia Sent a Convicted Serial Killer to War Against Ukraine—Now He’s In the Wind
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russian authorities are searching for convicted serial killer Andrey Kiyko, known in Russian media as the “Sosnovka Maniac,” after he reportedly escaped from a military hospital following deployment under a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
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According to Russian outlet 47news on May 26, the case drew attention after reports suggested Kiyko’s disappearance may have been concealed for months before Russian police were formally notified and involved in the search.
Military personnel and police units are currently searching for the 41-year-old in Russia’s Leningrad region, including near the settlement of Ropsha, where residents reportedly saw men in civilian clothing showing Kiyko’s wanted notice to passersby.
Kiyko was convicted in 2008 for a series of attacks on women in St. Petersburg’s Sosnovka Park between 2004 and 2007. Russian courts found him guilty of two murders, multiple sexual assaults, and 11 robberies. In 2023, Russian investigators added another murder conviction, increasing his sentence to 25 years in prison.
Kiyko signed a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry in mid-2024 despite previous public claims by Russian authorities that prisoners convicted of sexual violence would not be eligible for military service contracts.
Kiyko was wounded in January 2025 and transferred first to a hospital in Rostov and later to a rehabilitation facility in Kronstadt. He escaped during the summer of 2025, while 47news stated the escape likely occurred in early autumn of the same year.
The Russian Defense Ministry may not have officially declared him wanted until May 2026. The outlet reported that police were informed only later, writing that “his escape was concealed” before the criminal investigation department of Russia’s Interior Ministry became involved.
Court records cited by 47news also indicate that Kiyko filed legal complaints against the Defense Ministry during the summer of 2025, reportedly related to military payments and benefits connected to his participation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The case adds to a growing list of violent offenders recruited from Russian prisons for military service since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities and affiliated military structures have repeatedly used convicts to replenish frontline manpower losses.
Earlier, Russian media reported that a former Russian soldier recruited for the war against Ukraine was sentenced to 12 years in prison after abducting and torturing a woman for five days in Tuva. The convicted man had previously served prison terms before being deployed to the front through Russia’s convict recruitment program.
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