Andrei Chikatilo

It was Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, aka The Butcher of Rostov, who once said he felt in some way secure whenever he used his knife because he knew he was destined to fail. Between 1978 and 1990, the assassin molested, murdered, and tortured 53 women and children.

In 1994, he was executed by firing squad after being captured in 1992. Not only is his story notable for the sheer number of murders he committed, but also for Soviet authorities’ efforts to warn the public during their investigation. According to the government’s ideology, mass killings are unimaginable in communist countries.