Alexey Gaskov, 51, has gone on trial at the Moscow Regional Court charged with sexual violence and the killings of 10 people across three Russian regions, state media reported.
The court set the next hearing in the criminal case against Gaskov for August 14, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Prosecutors accuse him of rape, violent sexual acts, and murder involving seven women, one man, and two minors.
Investigators said the offences took place across Moscow, the surrounding Moscow region, and Novosibirsk region in Siberia. Gaskov allegedly targeted female victims in Moscow region parks after dark.
Previous conviction and confessions
Gaskov previously served time in prison following a criminal conviction in 2013. A court sentenced him to 10 and a half years in prison for getting the daughter of his cohabitant drunk and raping her.
The suspect had originally moved to Moscow from Novosibirsk in 2002 to study at paid acting classes. Prior to the current court proceedings, Gaskov confessed to committing more than 100 killings.
Novosibirsk is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast and the most populous city in Siberia, located roughly 2,800 kilometres east of Moscow. The Moscow Regional Court acts as the primary judicial body for major criminal trials across the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital.
Financial debts and civil claims
Alongside the criminal prosecution, Gaskov faces forced debt recovery proceedings totalling more than 945,000 rubles. Russian judicial bailiffs are attempting to collect over 505,000 rubles in outstanding bank credit debts from him.
He owes an additional sum of more than 409,000 rubles under legal execution writs issued by the Berdsk City Court. Berdsk is a major town in Novosibirsk Oblast situated near Novosibirsk.
RIA Novosti reported that Gaskov was also named in a civil lawsuit in 2023 over property damage caused by a residential fire. Legal proceedings began after a fire that originated in his house spread to a neighbouring building.
