Russia's 'chessboard killer' Alexander Pichushkin poised to confess to 11 more murders, officials say
Alexander Pichushkin, now 50 years old, targeted his victims - many of them homeless, alcoholics or elderly - around Bitsevsky Park in Moscow.
His killing spree lasted from 1992 to 2006, and he was then tried and jailed in 2007.
Russian media nicknamed him the "chessboard killer" because he told detectives he had planned to place a coin on every square of a 64-square chessboard for each of his victims.
The serial killer has been detained in a remote prison in Russia's Arctic, the Polar Owl prison, since being sentenced.
He has long been suspected of killing more people than the 48 for whose murders he has already been convicted.
Now he has told investigators he is prepared to confess to 11 further killings of men and women, Russia's prison system said in a statement on the Telegram messenger app on Saturday.
During his previous trial, he claimed to have killed 63 people, but he was only charged with 48 murders and three attempted murders.
Should he be convicted of the 11 additional murders, he would become Russia's second most prolific serial killer on record.
Mikhail Popkov, a former policeman, was convicted of 78 murders.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Intel, Epstein investigations grip Washington
Evening Report is The Hill's p.m. newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below: IT'S INVESTIGATIONS SEASON in Washington, as the GOP steams ahead with probes into the Intelligence Community (IC) and subpoenas fly in search of new information tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the formation of a new task force to investigate Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard 's claims of IC abuses around the Russian election interference investigations that swamped President Trump 's first term in office. Trump's intelligence chief has released a trove of newly-declassified documents in recent days that she says are evidence the IC manufactured and manipulated intelligence to create the narrative that Russia interfered in the election to boost Trump and hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton. Gabbard does not dispute that Russia sought to sow chaos in the election by using social media. However, she says senior officials in former President Obama 's administration ignored intelligence that ran contrary to the narrative that Russia wanted Trump elected. And she says those officials relied on politicized intelligence to investigate Trump and peddle allegations of Trump-Russia collusion to the media. Gabbard has turned her findings over to the DOJ for possible criminal referrals for former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey. 'We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice,' the DOJ said in a statement. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are calling for a special counsel to be appointed to probe whether Obama aided in the alleged effort, as Gabbard claims. 'For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome,' Graham posted on X. Trump has taken to accusing Obama of treason and seditious conspiracy, provoking a rare rebuke from the former president's office, which called the claims 'outrageous' and 'bizarre.' Clapper told CNN that he's lawyered up and ready to fight. 'It's patently false and unfounded,' Clapper said, citing a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report that found Russia interfered to boost Trump. The news media has largely dismissed Gabbard's claims. EPSTEIN SUBPOENAS FLY Republicans and Democrats are teaming up to push for more transparency in the Epstein case, even as Trump calls on his party to drop it and move on. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week approved a subpoena for Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in a Tallahassee federal prison for aiding Epstein in child sex trafficking. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell on Thursday afternoon, a source told NewsNation's Libby Dean. Democrats, who are agitating for more transparency on the Epstein case, are nonetheless skeptical of the DOJ's motives in pursuing new information from Maxwell. 'Trump sending his personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell stinks of high corruption and conflict of interest,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) posted on X. Meanwhile, a House Oversight subcommittee approved several subpoenas, including one instructing the DOJ to turn over material related to the Epstein case. Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Brian Jack (Ga.) joined all Democrats on the panel in pushing the vote across 8-2. The vote was more palatable for Republicans because it also approved subpoenas for several high-profile Democrats and other figures, including former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller. In addition, an amendment passed to include the release of all communications between former President Biden and his administration officials on the Epstein case. This comes after The Wall Street Journal published a new story saying Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appears multiple times in the files, along with many other high-profile individuals. The president is suing the Journal over an earlier story claiming he once sent Epstein a 'bawdy' birthday card. Trump has been photographed with Epstein and the two ran in the same social circles, but the president says they had a falling out years ago. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,' White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement. 'This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about.' ELSEWHERE… Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain answered questions in a private interview with the House Oversight panel as part of an investigation into Biden's mental acuity and use of an autopen. Klain is the first former Biden aide to answer questions. Three other former Biden officials called before the committee invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Klain was 'fairly responsive' to the panel's questions. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) called Klain 'very credible' and said he was 'fully cooperative.' 💡 Perspectives: • Racket: The sins of the 2017 Intelligence Community assessment. • MSNBC: Obama's patience wears thin in response to Trump's hysterics. • The Liberal Patriot: Today's non-progressive progressives. • Townhall: Columbia University surrenders. • Trump-Obama feud erupts over Russia interference allegations. • Democrats to Obama: Don't get in the mud with Trump. • GOP dysfunction over Epstein leaves Senate GOP angry with House. • These 11 Republicans are backing the Khana-Massie Epstein measure. • House GOP moves to establish long-delayed Jan. 6 committee. CATCH UP QUICK Here are five things to know about the deal reached between the Trump administration and Columbia University. Kaiser Permanente will pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients younger than 19 years beginning next month. A second court ruled Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship still cannot go into effect anywhere in the country, following the Supreme Court's decision that claws back nationwide injunctions. Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died at the age of 71. NEWS THIS AFTERNOON Trump heads to the Federal Reserve President Trump will visit the Federal Reserve on Thursday afternoon amid his feud with central bank chief Jerome Powell. Trump will be joined by White House deputy chief of staff James Blair, budget director Russell Vought and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, according to Semafor. The trip comes as Trump and senior administration officials fixate on the Fed's $2.5 billion building restoration, which was approved during former President Biden 's term in office. The officials say the project has suffered $700 million in cost over-runs, leading to allegations the Fed has experienced 'mission creep' by expanding into ares that are outside its purview. 'I just want to get eyes on sort of the whole project itself,' Blair said. Trump has had an ongoing feud with Powell over the Fed chief's refusal to lower interest rates. However, Trump says he does not intend to fire Powell, whose term is up in early 2026. • After securing a trade deal with Japan, the Trump administration is turning its focus to the European Union. 'Talks are going better than they had been,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV. 'We are making good progress.' Countries face an Aug. 1 deadline next week to reach a deal or face higher reciprocal tariffs. Trump will travel to Scotland on Friday to celebrate the opening of a new golf course that will be named after his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod, who was of Scottish descent. The president will also meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other foreign dignitaries on the four-day trip. 💡 Perspectives: • USA Today: In-N-Out owner places order to go − out of California. • Fox News: Teamsters' boss lauds Trump tariffs. • BIG: Why Are We Pretending AI Is Going to Take All the Jobs? Read more: • Hershey plans to raise chocolate prices. • US automakers say Trump's deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage. • Australia to reduce US beef import restrictions. • International students look to cleanse social media amid Trump visa policy. • Trump signs executive orders to fast-track AI data center construction. IN OTHER NEWS Roundup: Trump's second term approval hits new low President Trump's approval rating is at the lowest point of his second term in office, according to the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) polling average. Trump's net approval rating is more than 9 points underwater, with an average of 53.4 percent disapproving his job performance, against 44 percent who approve. • Tesla announced its revenue dropped by 12 percent and profits fell by 16 percent in the second quarter. Tesla's brand has been badly tarnished since Musk became involved in politics. 'We probably could have a few rough quarters,' Musk said on Tesla's earnings call. 'I'm not saying it will, but we could.' Trump has threatened Musk's companies since their falling out, saying he'd review all government contracts, subsidies and federal agencies working with the world's richest man. However, the president on Thursday extended an olive branch. 'Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so!' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before! The better they do, the better the USA does, and that's good for all of us. We are setting records every day, and I want to keep it that way!' • Former President Obama is jumping into the redistricting wars, headlining an August fundraiser in Martha's Vineyard for a Democratic group fighting efforts by Republicans to redraw their maps ahead of the midterm elections. Redistricting efforts have become a surprise storyline ahead of next year's elections, as Democratic leaders in blue states threaten to redraw their maps to retaliate against GOP leaders in red states that have moved draw new congressional district lines. Redistricting typically happens at the end of the decade when the new census data is released. The Hill's Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester write: 'The redistricting tit-for-tat threatens to roil the midterms, sowing uncertainty in an election that will reshape the remainder of President Trump's term.' • The North Carolina Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C) is taking shape. Axios reports that Democrats got their man, with former Gov. Roy Cooper set to launch his campaign next week. And Politico reports that Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump will not run for Senate, but rather will support Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, who plans to launch a bid. • Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is the latest Democrat to seek distance from New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Shapiro, a potential 2028 presidential contender, said in an interview with Jewish Insider that Mamdani must do more to address his 'blatantly antisemitic' supporters on the left. 'If you want to lead New York, you want to lead Pennsylvania, you want to lead the United States of America, you're a leader,' Shapiro said. 'I don't care if you're a Republican or Democratic leader or a democratic socialist leader. You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there. You've got to condemn that.' 💡 Perspectives: • UnHerd: How Dems can win back MAGA workers. • The Hill: A reality check for Democrats. • City Journal: Medical journals care more about DEI than disease. • Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers not seeking reelection. • Senate Republicans miffed as House bolts for recess.


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Russia is sending kidnapped Ukrainian teens to the frontlines, Kyiv says: ‘Fighting against their own people'
Russia is forcing the children that it's kidnapped from Ukraine to fight against their own country once they turn 18 as part of a direct order from President Vladimir Putin, Kyiv officials said. Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said soldiers on the battlefield are coming face-to-face with the young men, with one rescued 19-year-old recounting the Kremlin's re-education process that he was made to endure for three years, the Times of London reported. 'We were made to sing the Russian anthem every morning, then physical training — jumps, squats, running, crawling — and we also learned how to shoot,' Vlad Rudenko told the outlet. Advertisement 6 Moscow is deploying Ukrainian teens to the frontlines along with Russian conscripts, Kyiv alleges. Sputnik via AP 6 Moscow has touted its re-education camps, where children taken from Ukraine are brought up as Russian citizens, with older kids undergoing military training. Newsflare 'The 16- and 17-year-olds were given dummy rifles and the older ones used live ammunition,' he added. Rudenko was one of the many children who were taken from their homes when Russian soldiers stormed through the southern town of Kherson in October 2022. Advertisement He was only 16 when the foreign troops found him hiding in his mother's apartment, taking the boy by gunpoint and transferring him to a re-education camp in occupied Crimea, where he and other children underwent combat training. Rudenko, who was smuggled over the frontlines with the help of his mother last year, considered himself lucky when compared to some of the other 35,000 children Russia has kidnapped. 6 Andriy Yermak confirmed that the bodies of young Ukrainians were discovered on the opposing side of the battlefield. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 6 Ukraine estimates that some 35,000 children have been kidnapped from their parents and homes since Russia began its invasion in 2022. AP 'The Russians didn't manage to take anything from me though, they just deprived me of my childhood,' he said. 'I am lucky, because there are Ukrainians now who are fighting against their own people.' Yermak, who slammed Moscow as a 'terroristic regime,' said the kidnapping and re-education of countless Ukrainian children serves two goals. The first is for Russia to fill its ranks with expendable soldiers as Moscow continues to beef up its military numbers in the face of hundreds of deaths a week along the frontlines. Advertisement 6 Kyiv says part of Moscow's plan is to bolster its frontline forces amid the hundreds of deaths and injuries that occur every week. REUTERS The second is far more sinister: to force Ukrainian soldiers to fight against their own children, Yermak said. The top Ukrainian official confirmed that soldiers have already begun identifying the bodies of their own countrymen on the opposing side of the battlefields. 'The Russians want to destroy the new generation of the Ukrainians, and they are building new soldiers against the country where they were born. It is terrible,' he said. 'Putin's goal is [that] he doesn't want Ukraine to exist.' 6 Demonstrators place the toys of missing Ukrainian children on the streets of Brussels, condemning the mass kidnappings by Russian soldiers. Getty Images Experts at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab helped Kyiv raise the alarms of Russia's mass kidnapping and re-education ploy last month. The US research team has been working to keep track of Ukrainian children that have disappeared since the start of Russia's 2022 war on Kyiv and has identified dozens of 'Russification' camps — at least 13 in Belarus and 43 in Russian-annexed Crimea and across mainland Russia. There, the kids are indoctrinated into Putin's ideal citizens and raised to speak Russian and not their native Ukrainian. Advertisement Some of the children have been shown on Russian state TV being paraded around Moscow, with even the Kremlin's Children's Rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, publicly bragging about adopting a boy from the city of Mariupol, which was seized in 2022 following a bloody, months-long siege. The mass kidnappings are among the charges that led the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Putin back in 2023.


UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
GOP's Graham, Cornyn call for special counsel probe of Barack Obama
1 of 2 | Former president Barack Obama energizes the crowd, urging attendees to get involved and vote in Philadelphia in 2024. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn have called for special counsel after Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard released more unclassified documents about the Obama administration. File Photo by David Muse/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations against former President Barack Obama. The senators said they want the truth about Obama's alleged "manipulation" before the 2016 election. "For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General (Pam) Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome," Graham posted on X. A special counsel is someone brought from outside to investigate independently. "As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case," Fox News reported Graham and Cornyn said. This call comes one day after Director of Homeland Security Tulsi Gabbard released a second formerly classified document alleging wrongdoing by Obama. The Department of Justice created a "strike force" to investigate the evidence. The document cast doubts on Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire to help Trump beat Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. It backed up the argument that Russia wanted to interfere in the election. It was part of a House Intelligence Committee report from Sept. 18, 2020, when Republicans controlled the House. Though it doesn't dispute that Moscow interfered in the election, it shows the Obama administration's handling of Russian activity. Last week, Gabbard released a document that accused Obama and his Cabinet of manufacturing an intelligence report to falsely accuse Russia of acting to ensure Trump defeated Clinton during the 2016 election. Obama's team responded to last week's report. "Nothing in that document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a prepared statement on Tuesday. "These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio." "With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama administration to subvert the will of the American people," Graham and Cornyn said. Trump earlier in the day accused Obama of "trying to lead a coup" with Hillary Clinton.