Werewolf Killer: The True Story of a Russian Cop Turned Serial Killer
Tonight, my special guest is author C. L. Swinney, who’s here to discuss one of the most prolific serial killers in Russian history: Mikhail Popkov. Known as the “Werewolf” and the “Angarsk Maniac,” Popkov hid behind the façade of a devoted family man, respected police officer, and model citizen—while secretly living a double life as a serial murderer. This chilling true crime story explores Russian criminal history, serial killer psychology, and the terrifying patterns behind Popkov’s murders.
Despite his beautiful family, successful law enforcement career, and the admiration he received within the police force, Popkov was driven by violent impulses that led him to commit a staggering number of crimes. His family and colleagues initially refused to believe he could be guilty, but when Popkov began confessing and guiding investigators to remote dumping sites, the truth became undeniable. His eventual kill count—surpassing 81 victims—made him the worst serial killer Russia had ever seen, surpassing figures like Andrei Chikatilo.
Tonight, we delve into how this seemingly ordinary man could snap and unleash a reign of terror across Siberia. We examine his motives, his confession strategy to avoid Black Dolphin prison, Russia’s most feared penal colony, and the investigative breakthroughs that exposed his crimes. C. L. Swinney helps us explore serial killer profiling, criminology, forensic investigation, police corruption, and the disturbing psychological factors behind one of the darkest chapters in modern Russian true crime.
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Start your free seven-day trial and unlock this episode plus hundreds more, all ad-free, when you become a Mysterian on Patreon. Is there something about Mikhail that sets him apart from all the others?
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Yeah, I would say that there's a couple of little things that what's gonna apart one is the, just the amount of women that he, um, he killed during his, um, killing spree is, is, is astronomical really.
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I mean, 81, um, kills is the number that he's at right now, but, um, I was given some information about a month ago that that number may eclipse 100, and the reason why that number keeps climbing is because Mikhail doesn't wanna go to a prison known as Black Dolphin.
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Um, Black Dolphin is a prison in Russia that is the worst of the worst. See why Mikhail does not wanna go there. Um, unique to him too was that he, he, uh... A couple of things.
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He, he, he used his position as an officer to gain trust from women.
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Um, he would then go out and commit brutal murders, and some of the killings he did that was unique was that he actually, um, and I don't know how graphic you can go on your show, but he actually killed-
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