VYATSKIYE POLYANY, Central Russia -- When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, some of the luckier residents of this town got a chance to own their garages. Most used the metal shacks to store car parts, farm equipment, and potatoes.
Alexander Komin, 44, an electrician, used his to dig himself an underground colony for female slaves.
By his own admission, Komin lured homeless women and kept them chained in a large bunker buried 12 meters deep. He starved, beat and had sex with his captives. By the time he was arrested on July 21, two men and two women had been murdered. Two of the three women who survived had the word "slave" crudely tattooed on their foreheads.
Komin had a utilitarian streak: He installed three sewing machines and put his captives to work stitching underwear, flowered housecoats and oven mitts that he sold all over town.
Everyone in Vyatskiye Polyany, an industrial town of 40,000 people 950 kilometers east of Moscow, was horrified by the secret life of Komin, who was well liked. But few expressed much pity for his captives.
"A normal woman would never have survived such conditions," Nadezhda Kamskaya said tartly. "A normal woman would either have died or killed the man."
Kamskaya's view is widely shared. Russia is a society untouched by contemporary notions of women's solidarity and victims' rights. Like thousands of provincial towns in the former Soviet Union, Vyatskiye Polyany is a tight-knit community in surly decline. Half the workers at the local armaments factory have been laid off; the other half get their wages -- the equivalent of about $50 a month -- months late. Almost everybody in it is struggling to stay even. There is little sympathy for the neighbors who slip through the cracks.
When Tatyana Melnikova, 37, and Tatyana Kozikova, 38, first showed their tattooed faces on local television, municipal authorities opened bank accounts for them so viewers could donate the $400 it will cost to get the tattoos removed. So far, not a single ruble has been deposited.
Both women, and the third survivor, Irina Ganushina, 23, have returned to a so-called normal life. Ganushina, who was lured to Komin's garage March 1, spent three months in the bunker until Komin decided to marry her. He brought her back above ground, settled her in his apartment, and bought her a wedding dress. When she found a chance to get away she went to the police.
Komin sits in an iron cage in a police cell, awaiting trial on murder and kidnapping charges. Russia has put a moratorium on the death penalty, so he faces 25 years to life in prison.
A small, wiry man with an engaging smile and bright blue eyes, Komin expressed no remorse.
"I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to marry Irina or finish my underground dream," he said.
He said he felt he was doing his victims a favor. "These were unemployed, homeless women," he said. "I gave them a place to live and a steady job."
He said the beatings and tattoos were necessary: "When they tried to escape, they had to be punished. After that, I guess they did fear me."
Komin, who spent three years in jail for hooliganism in the early 1970s, does not think he is insane. "Of course, such a crazy idea would not come to a normal man," he said. "But still, I think I am normal."
The first victim was Vera Tolpayeva, who came to the bunker in the summer of 1995 after a drinking bout with Komin. She helped him lure an acquaintance, Tatyana Melnikova, and her boyfriend, Nikolai Malykh, both experienced tailors. Malykh was poisoned, his body dumped in a nearby field. Later, Tolpayeva fell from favor and was forced to choose either to drink antifreeze or have it injected in her veins. She chose the former, and died as the two Tatyanas looked on.
Tatyana Kozikova, a cook from Ulyanovsk, had served two years in jail there, and in July 1995 eagerly accepted Komin's offer of a drink and a job.
Another woman, Tatyana Nazimova, 28, was picked up in a railway station in 1996, but she turned out to have leukemia and no work ethic. She, too, died of antifreeze poisoning. Yevgeny Shishov, a former paratrooper whom Komin recruited to help expand the bunker, was later electrocuted. Their bodies, like Malykh's, were dumped in abandoned fields. The police initially assumed all the victims died of alcohol poisoning from moonshine vodka.
Alexander Komin, 44, an electrician, used his to dig himself an underground colony for female slaves.
By his own admission, Komin lured homeless women and kept them chained in a large bunker buried 12 meters deep. He starved, beat and had sex with his captives. By the time he was arrested on July 21, two men and two women had been murdered. Two of the three women who survived had the word "slave" crudely tattooed on their foreheads.
Komin had a utilitarian streak: He installed three sewing machines and put his captives to work stitching underwear, flowered housecoats and oven mitts that he sold all over town.
Everyone in Vyatskiye Polyany, an industrial town of 40,000 people 950 kilometers east of Moscow, was horrified by the secret life of Komin, who was well liked. But few expressed much pity for his captives.
"A normal woman would never have survived such conditions," Nadezhda Kamskaya said tartly. "A normal woman would either have died or killed the man."
Kamskaya's view is widely shared. Russia is a society untouched by contemporary notions of women's solidarity and victims' rights. Like thousands of provincial towns in the former Soviet Union, Vyatskiye Polyany is a tight-knit community in surly decline. Half the workers at the local armaments factory have been laid off; the other half get their wages -- the equivalent of about $50 a month -- months late. Almost everybody in it is struggling to stay even. There is little sympathy for the neighbors who slip through the cracks.
When Tatyana Melnikova, 37, and Tatyana Kozikova, 38, first showed their tattooed faces on local television, municipal authorities opened bank accounts for them so viewers could donate the $400 it will cost to get the tattoos removed. So far, not a single ruble has been deposited.
Both women, and the third survivor, Irina Ganushina, 23, have returned to a so-called normal life. Ganushina, who was lured to Komin's garage March 1, spent three months in the bunker until Komin decided to marry her. He brought her back above ground, settled her in his apartment, and bought her a wedding dress. When she found a chance to get away she went to the police.
Komin sits in an iron cage in a police cell, awaiting trial on murder and kidnapping charges. Russia has put a moratorium on the death penalty, so he faces 25 years to life in prison.
A small, wiry man with an engaging smile and bright blue eyes, Komin expressed no remorse.
"I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to marry Irina or finish my underground dream," he said.
He said he felt he was doing his victims a favor. "These were unemployed, homeless women," he said. "I gave them a place to live and a steady job."
He said the beatings and tattoos were necessary: "When they tried to escape, they had to be punished. After that, I guess they did fear me."
Komin, who spent three years in jail for hooliganism in the early 1970s, does not think he is insane. "Of course, such a crazy idea would not come to a normal man," he said. "But still, I think I am normal."
The first victim was Vera Tolpayeva, who came to the bunker in the summer of 1995 after a drinking bout with Komin. She helped him lure an acquaintance, Tatyana Melnikova, and her boyfriend, Nikolai Malykh, both experienced tailors. Malykh was poisoned, his body dumped in a nearby field. Later, Tolpayeva fell from favor and was forced to choose either to drink antifreeze or have it injected in her veins. She chose the former, and died as the two Tatyanas looked on.
Tatyana Kozikova, a cook from Ulyanovsk, had served two years in jail there, and in July 1995 eagerly accepted Komin's offer of a drink and a job.
Another woman, Tatyana Nazimova, 28, was picked up in a railway station in 1996, but she turned out to have leukemia and no work ethic. She, too, died of antifreeze poisoning. Yevgeny Shishov, a former paratrooper whom Komin recruited to help expand the bunker, was later electrocuted. Their bodies, like Malykh's, were dumped in abandoned fields. The police initially assumed all the victims died of alcohol poisoning from moonshine vodka.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.