NO ONE COULD BELIEVE that such a thing could happen to an officer’s exemplary wife! The high-profile disappearance case…

A military town surrounded by a fence. Not far from the checkpoint a young woman stands and nervously fiddling with her scarf. To her a car pulls up. Woman sighs relieved, he sits down in it. car gives on gases. They remain behind the car on the road subtle drops of blood. Morning of December 31, 1993. City Khabarovsk.

 Main Directorate of Internal Affairs cases in the Khabarovsk Territory. Into the building a woman of about 60 staggers in and unexpectedly falls near the window duty officer Police officers bring her into feeling. Of course, she came in so depressed depressed state. It was the impression is that, well, she doesn’t look even for his age, the one he had her.

Panfilov Vladimir Vladimirovich, ex-head of department of the Main Directorate criminal investigation department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. B worked as a senior in the nineties criminal investigation officer in city of Khabarovsk. Her blood pressure dropped, she completely turned pale and we were forced to interrupt our dialogues.

We invited a doctor who visited us. Here. Well, the doctor brought her back to her senses. Zoya Nikolaevna Popova arrived several times days ago from Krasnodar to celebrate New Year’s Eve with my daughter’s family. But instead A terrible blow awaited her at the joyful meeting. She found out that her Olga was gone without a trace disappeared, and most importantly, no one looking for.

To understand the situation, the boss The headquarters sends an operative team. The decision was made to begin, as they say, check from the very beginning. Missing Sentsova Olga Lvovna, 35 years old, city of birth Krasnodar. Lives in Khabarovsk Territory in a military town. Married, no children.

 Works as a teacher in elementary school. [music] But where could Olga have disappeared to? After all, she knew that her mother was coming to visit her. Is it possible that her disappearance is connected with your husband’s work? He is a military man, he occupies high position and is the bearer valuable secret information.

 Or with a woman had an accident. So far the detectives have only questions and nothing one answer. From the materials of the criminal case with statement about the disappearance of Sentsova Ol later three days ago Sentsov’s husband Vadim contacted Gennadievich. According to him, it was compiled search orientation.

 He provided photograph of the wife. Vladimir Panfilov finds out in what investigation and what steps have already been taken by the local by the police. The operatives called hospitals and morgues. unidentified corpses during this period after she was not found. No, how they say in the area responsibility of the railway police, that means in the area where she lived.

[music] When investigating a missing person case, calling hospital morgues are a mandatory step. Perhaps the person is in unconscious or dead. Moreover, they call them several times with periodicity in one day, because there is chance that the person was discovered and They didn’t get there right away. [music] In addition, the police were involved in transport and sent out orientations throughout the Khabarovsk region.

Photos of a wanted person are placed on the stand. Nikiforov Gennady Eduardovich in the nineties worked in the Moscow department Internal Affairs at the railway transport. Let the stand be called: “The police are looking for them.” At that time they wanted by the police, but it says below explanation that this is the person wanted for committing something crime, but this man left home and never returned.

On the same day, December 31, opera Commissioner Panfilov goes to apartment where the Sentsovs live, and where the mother of the missing Zoya stopped Nikolaevna. There the head of the family tells again Panfil about what the detective had already read in in fact. Around 8:00 a.m. on December 22, officer approached the house, returned with long exercises and saw his wife.

 He I recognized her by her silhouette and clothes. Young the woman was wearing blue jeans and gray down jacket. She was in a hurry, almost running to the checkpoint. A military town is a special world. Territory separated from the remaining part countries separated fence. checkpoint posts. Limanov Anton Aleksandrovich, military man historian, publicist, author of books and articles about the Russian armed forces during the period perestroika.

The disappearance of any resident of a military camp – this is an emergency. The USSR ceased to exist in 1991. At that time, Soviet troops numbered about 4 million people. In May 1992, the number of personal the composition of the army was already estimated at less than 3 million military personnel. Life in military units began to change.

Funding has dropped sharply. In some garrisons, officers spent months did not receive any monetary allowance. Military personnel quit en masse. Them no less, people in military camps, despite all the difficulties, we continued live together. So, according to Vadim Sentsov, he saw wife on the day of her disappearance.

 She was in a hurry on the train, on a session at the institute. Sentsov did not call her and decided that will meet in the evening. He went to the regional center, there are no traces of him found it. And then the thought came to him: that perhaps she stayed overnight to my friend. According to Sentsov, it became it is known that the day after the disappearance of his wife, he called several her friends. Nobody saw Olga.

 Numbers The man found the phones in his notebook wife’s book. Panfelov asks to show give him the woman’s personal belongings. is being studied documents, including the notebooks of the missing man person. Well, including the subject such research are photo albums. Panfilov notes: “In the photographs there is a couple look happy. Both are well dressed.

Olga is wearing gold and amber jewelry and pearls Apparently, her husband spoils her, sucker looks around. A room in the apartment too decorated with taste and attention the operative is attracted by the unusual detail. Wallpaper on one wall in the living room brighter than the others. Panfilov understands that the carpet had been hanging there for a long time, which is no longer there.

 Sentsov confirms that he and his wife are going make repairs, began to get rid of trash. But where do the officers get the complex stuff? time, money for jewelry for his wife, so more for apartment renovations. Well, in the nineties there was no It is customary to throw away useful old things, which could be used again.

And carpets were such an item that characterized any family, that is, its prosperity. Menchukov Dmitry Alekseevich, sociologist-political scientist, author of a publication about perestroika. [music] and throw out the carpet. In the nineties this was unthinkable. In Soviet times and in the early nineties there was a carpet in almost every house, so the same as Czechoslovak walls and crystal.

Carpets were hung on the walls, covered with them floors. If they were more popular in the USSR henbane with fairy tales or with deer against the backdrop of a forest or mountains, then in in the nineties they were supplanted by the Persians, Uzbek and Armenian woolen products with traditional fancy ornaments.

Natural wool carpet in 1993 in stores it cost more than 150,000 rubles, While the average salary was about 60,000. While studying the case, Panfilov read the protocols interrogating neighbors, and yet he decides to question them personally. In general, some negative no characteristics were obtained. According to Sentsov’s neighbors, they lived like everyone else, neither better nor worse.

 Then what could happen? Why in broad daylight? Olga disappeared on New Year’s Day? Could a woman have a big quarrel with husband? Or maybe she fell in love with another man and left? The possibility that she became an accidental victim of criminals, Investigators are not ruling it out either. The era of the nineties is, of course, a completely unpredictable time.

 U many people so, figuratively speaking, blew the roof off. Husbands abandoned families children, wives, teachers quit their jobs, went to sell things at the market. B in general, something like this was happening indescribable. [music] On the morning of January 1, the detectives set off to railway station, where Olga I went to Khabarovsk.

From the materials of the criminal case, the cashier, who worked on the day of Sentsova’s disappearance OL, recognizes the missing person in the photograph and confirms that she often went to Khabarovsk. However, Lisentsova OL bought ticket for the required date, say finds it difficult. The next day, the operatives sit in morning train.

 They need to find those who saw Olga. In the nineties there were crimes on the railway a frequent occurrence, and happen along the way with a young woman could do anything. There were train thieves, there were so-called Well, the scammers of Shlyar cataly. which, well, sometimes they trusted this person, tried to start some kind of card game game, and the person, well, has no money.

 Ah, You don’t have money, then give it all, what do you have, and what do you need there? didn’t talk, he could have been thrown out somewhere on the move from this train. And this could be. After 2 days, luck smiles on the detectives. One of the passengers, an elderly woman, remembers that she saw Sentsov at that time the most fatal morning.

 According to her, Olga had a strong argument with a certain man, and he dragged her out of the train. Because that woman was with two children, she will not intervene in this dispute I could have helped in some way. Was it really Olga? But who was next to her? Operatives and transport police begin to search in area of Sadovaya station.

 It was her stated the witness. Combing the area is an inspection perimeter in the area of the missing person. The combing is carried out along the specified route regardless of the terrain, be it ravines or forest thicket. Group members share territory into squares and check every centimeter. If on the way there are abandoned wells buildings look there too.

 But always there is hope that a living person. Here’s how would not say, no matter how they were Well, there’s some indirect evidence there, well, there is hope. On the second day of searching, 4 km from Sadovaya station in the forest belt is found the corpse of a woman dressed in jeans and a jacket, about the same as the missing Olga.

The absence of the front part is strong the damage made identification difficult. [music] Was Olga really killed? But who could it be? do and why? Begins investigative procedure to establish identity based on an unidentified body. B nineties for this purpose all methods were used except analysis DNA. During the examination of the corpse, the corpse must be was subjected to document scanning, after why, huh, a docthilloscopy was obtained the card was checked by operational reference accounting.

 If the person was registered, then accordingly, we installed it personality. Belov Oleg Aleksandrovich, associate professor of the department criminology of Moscow state legal University, Candidate of Legal Sciences. In addition, the law obliged and obliges Now it’s mandatory to do chest crunches educational photographs for so that in the future, in the future, photographs show the corpse for identification.

The investigation is clarifying that the body found not far from Sadovaya station, belongs to thirty-year-old Oksana Kolyazina, a resident of Khabarovsk. A report of her missing has already been received by police. From the materials of the criminal case It has been established that the unidentified body is not belongs to Olga Lvovna Sentsova.

 By according to VG Sentsov, the jacket on the missing gray color, on the discovered body light brown. Also, the special signs do not match. U Ol Sentsova did not have her ears pierced. [music] Case investigation into the murder of a woman from electric trains are transferred to the territorial department of internal affairs, and operatives they start calling Olga’s friends.

The country returns to normal after the holidays ordinary life. [music] New Year was celebrated in the nineties gathering in a large group relatives or friends at someone’s place apartment. The table was put together. The women decided in advance who would do what. buys and who cooks what. On the table Olivier salad and herring were a must under a fur coat, jellied meat, bright red sausage salts and sprats baked into a crust bush legs, alcohol piano, multi-colored liqueurs with apricot, cherry and kiwi flavors.

Russian champagne. From soft drinks to the table put Zuko’s juices diluted with water and Invite. In the nineties we had three days off official. The first, second and seventh numbers. Under these numbers people tried to either take vacation, either from goals, or accumulating weekend. We tried to go to relatives, who had what where? We tried visit necessarily.

Investigators talking to girlfriends Olga, who were away. On the first look they don’t say anything special, But something worries Panfilov. The woman told us that in those clothes, in which it is described in the orientation, it I only took out trash cans. But what could have happened? What made Olga this time to go to the exam in Khabarovsk in simple jeans? I worked with people who are in closed they communicated in military camps.

 Yes, there really certain social culture. Pokusaeva Olesya Vladimirovna, family and forensic psychologist, compiles psychological portraits of criminals and victims, works with techniques profiling. The woman really should have come out, well, in decent form in their understanding. This is often some styled hair, makeup, yes, and, accordingly, clothes too had to correspond to their status, especially if she was traveling to another city.

Was Olga really not going for an exam? Or her husband Vadim Sentsov made a mistake, and that morning he confused his wife with someone else and gave police incorrect description of appearance spouses? Panfelov decides again talk to the man. And the man seems to be once again confirmed the clothes she was wearing.

If we talk about women, very often they change their life scenario through appearance. Obgarov Alan Vilmovich, psychiatrist, specializes in treatment neurotic disorders and dependencies. Methods used in the work transactional analysis and projective hypnotherapy. If a person gets into his inner a dead end, it’s called scientifically, and it doesn’t enjoy life, he you need to change your concept.

 Yes, perhaps changing your life scenario, yes, this often happens to people, where the beginning comes first the change of form, then the content, and then it starts, Well, it’s starting to influence the essence of it actions. The version is that Olga decided to quit on her own husband and leave becomes the main one.

Operatives are sending out search warrants orientation not only in Khabarovsk region, but also throughout Russia. Photos of Olga hang in police stations, on train stations and bus stops throughout country. However, Panfilov is haunted by one small detail. In a conversation with a friend Olga also mentioned that the woman she was very jealous of her husband, which means she loved him and hardly looked at others.

[music] Panfilov decides to question him in more detail witness and asks an important question. Did Olga have a reason to be jealous? information suddenly surfaced that, well, she said verbatim that, yes, he has a mistress. According to the witness, recently time Sentsov periodically returned from exercises later than other colleagues, and Olga I couldn’t find a place for myself.

 What if in this time the officer was delayed somewhere? Panfilov makes a request to the command military unit and receives the answer that the military returned from exercises on the morning of 21 December, and Sentsov stated that he saw wife when he returned on the twenty-second. From the materials of the criminal case it turned out that on the day of the disappearance Sentsova Ol, her husband Sentsov VG returned from the exercise a day later than his colleagues.

Where was the man all this time? Military towns. Everything is very fast is spreading. If the men returned from the exercises, it is known who returned and who didn’t return. There aren’t that many of them there quantity. Everyone knows each other. [music] Does Sentsov really have mistress? Who is she? Co-worker from military town. It’s unlikely.

 In this In this case, everyone would know about this connection. From John officers can’t hide anything. So, this woman is a civilian and lives in another place. But how to find it? Soschiki decide to apply for assistance to special officers, special department military unit. [music] Military camps were out of control Ministry of Internal Affairs. There was a special world there.

 It was necessary contact the military prosecutor’s office. The point is that our Soviet officer must should have been exemplary. All cases were thoroughly investigated, everything this was carefully checked. When this all took place internally check. That is, they checked their own his own boss, in fact. Well, there nothing seems to be lost and nothing seems would not fly past them. Here.

 Well, accordingly, this woman was installed. A few days later Panfilov receives a list of addresses where the officer traveled. Among them the apartment of a certain Lyudmila Zhilina. She lives near a military camp, works there, in Cheburechnaya. [applause] [music] Chebureks became popular back in Soviet Union.

 Then for one ruble you could buy six chebureks. B In the nineties, even more of them appeared. This It was a filling and fairly cheap snack. Chebureks in the nineties cost, in general, not that expensive. Slightly more expensive than a loaf bread Well, that’s basically what happened logical, because there was meat. There wasn’t much meat there.

It’s basically onions. Here. But still it was delicious. Well, as a bonus all this was given out with a piece of toilet paper paper instead of a napkin. Continuing to engage in activities in regarding his mistress, I visited Cheburichnaya, where she worked, and saw a slope on it, which was similar to the one that was our missing Olga.

 We asked for more once her mom see all the photos in album. The detectives are convinced that on one of Olga’s photos have the same chain and amber pendant. Where is this decoration from? at Lyudmila’s? This is the same chain that I wore Olga? Or the officer gave it to his wife and matching jewelry for your mistress? Or maybe this is a coincidence? And Lyudmila bought yourself a pendant? To find out, needed to know more about relationships barmaid and officer.

The circle of acquaintances of this Lyudmila mistresses. It was determined that she I actually met someone officer and dreamed of courage, demanded that he get a divorce. Was Sentsov planning to divorce wife and marry Lyudmila? The investigation suddenly turns in a completely different direction.

 Is it possible that Olga was killed out of jealousy? Naturally, any divorce is a blow to career. Naturally, the officer, well, that more if he is already a major, lieutenant colonel, under the colonel, he just didn’t want to get divorced. Why? Because next higher, naturally, the path was closed to him. Well, in those years divorce was not very good still approved.

 And indeed, again, this one says it from a point a military man’s view that he unstable. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, crime has grown sharply in the country. Taste Many felt the permissiveness. It was then that the phrase: “No person, no problem.” By statistics since the 1980s, men began killing their wives and mistresses at 4 half times more often, but women do not lagged behind.

 They ordered rivals killer and often decided on their own murder. [music] [music] Well, in practice there were cases when women shared one man and in a fit this passionate showdown with each other one killed the other by stabbing her with scissors carotid artery. So, the operatives establish surveillance of Vadim Sentsov’s mistress.

Suspect number one. Zilina Lyudmila Kirillovna, 36 years old, city deposit Bekin, Khabarovsk Territory. Education average. Works as a barmaid, bakes pies for sale at the market. Not married. Panfilov needs to find out. Have you tried Lyudmila get in touch with Olga? He questions the military at the checkpoint.

From the materials of the criminal case, duty officers at the checkpoint showed that recently Zilina LC received a temporary one several times pass to enter military territory town. Application for a pass and her passport details at the checkpoint submitted by Sentsov VG. The fact that Lyudmila, Sentsov’s mistress, no longer in doubt.

 But could she she has something to do with the disappearance Olga? And if so, was she really stupid enough to take it decoration? What did she expect? But to draw final conclusions, Panfilov needs to exclude all possible coincidences. checked jewelry stores for sales of certain similar products, but and received an official response that something like this was not sold in jewelry and stores this region.

Accordingly, the conclusion was that this thing was purchased somewhere else. Well or perhaps brought there from business trips for spouses. Panfelov once again asks the mother of the missing person examine Olga’s personal belongings. In the box with jewelry he does not find amber pendant.

 But here it is on a woman, on family holiday photographs and footage fresh, made on film camera Soap box. [music] Where did Olga’s pendant go? Her mother Zoya Nikolaevna assures that her daughter is not I could give away the jewelry. She loved husband and took care of all his gifts. Except that the woman complains about the behavior son-in-law He always disappears somewhere and hints that it’s time for the mother-in-law to leave.

 Apparently which doesn’t bother him at all. where is the wife? [music] That is, there was no her expectation factor. Meanwhile, another one appears in the case witness. Sentsov’s neighbor from home On the contrary, I was on vacation with my husband for 10 days. She returns and, learning that Olga is still was not found, reports something.

I remembered what I saw on the balcony plaid, light plaid, but I’m so she’s almost like that verbatim, but I know that he such a person that he even spoons I didn’t wash the dishes, there are plates, but here washed blanket, there’s forensics it’s called, look for what you should be. This was a signal that after all, we are not dealing with disappearance of a person, and we are talking about crime.

Suspect number two. Sentsov Vadim Gennadievich, 37 years old, military man, major. Place of birth: Nizhny Tagil. Place of service: Khabarovsk Territory. Opera authorized persons send the appeal to military prosecutor’s office and receives permission for detention and interrogation Sentsov within the walls of the police department.

 But they don’t have time they go to detention suspect, how they get another one, and no longer indirect, but direct evidence. From the materials of the criminal case of Popov Zn, mother of missing Sentsova O. Provided as a result, a pendant made of amber and torn daughter’s gold chain. According to Popova, she found them between armrest and sofa cushion.

The chain and pendant were exactly the same like Lyudmila Zhilina. It seems the officer is not bothered and could bring both women identical gifts from a business trip. And, of course, when she demonstrated well, there was some confusion from the point of view, why didn’t they find it? We examined here.

 But they examined, again, inspection I see discord, yes. It’s one thing when a forensic expert looks through the cracks, blood, uh, footprints, fingerprints and so on. It’s another matter when, well, opera we came, we saw, it was a mess no. Here it is, it is so, under the sofa no one looked. Missing chain and pendant found Olga’s mother under the sofa.

The blanket that the officer was drying on the day after the disappearance spouses. A carpet removed from the wall. Maybe perhaps it is the Sentsovs’ living room that is crime scene. On the same day, the officer is called to department. He can’t believe it that he is now a suspect. [music] Well, of course, he closed himself off. Closed up.

It was necessary, uh, it was necessary through him this wall, uh, this silence and detachment to get through with some arguments. [music] Detail by detail investigators and operatives are restoring the picture what happened. Sentsov returned from the exercises a day later. All this time he was with his mistress Lyudmila Zhilina.

 His wife arranged for him scandal. The woman definitely had feelings for him, if she threw him a tantrum, some kind of scandal, right? And he, well, has others feelings for another woman. The scandal was gaining momentum. The wife started threaten to complain to her husband’s boss or file for divorce. And in some Sentsov could not stand the moment and attacked Olga, began to choke her.

 He didn’t notice how the chain on her neck broke and together with a pendant fell behind the sofa. The investigator notices how psychologist, any facial detail, right? That is, if and when he noticed this here is a trembling, which means it’s still a person it doesn’t matter when there’s this picture came up to him again, yes, stone the face ceased to be stone.

 Yes, it was a signal. The officer surrendered and is about to admits to what he did. Didn’t comment further. He he said: “Yes, well, let’s go, I’ll show you where she is there.” I didn’t have to travel far. Olga’s body discovered buried in the basement five-story buildings, where does Lyudmila Zhilina, mistress live? Sentsova.

It is wrapped in a carpet, the same one that removed from the wall in the living room, and allegedly thrown away. Operative Panfilov involuntarily looks at the patterns on the carpet. Red and white-yellow steel ornaments dark brown due to blood. The detectives find Lyudmila on her suitcases. The woman was preparing to leave the city.

A friend could not stand it and said that The police were interested in her. Sensov topics time agrees to give official confessions. He strangled his wife. At that moment the chain broke. At the moment of death, well, it sort of happened natural muscle relaxation. And here on tracks formed there on the carpet.

 Not on the carpet, on the blanket, which he then washed and dried. [music] When Sentsov attacked his wife and began choke her, the woman is burst capillaries and vessels. Therefore the man hastened to wrap her body in a carpet, so that there are no traces of blood left at home. Sentsov also confirmed the story with he came up with the idea of his wife’s trip to college, to avert suspicion.

After the murder, he carefully carried the body to street and put it in the trunk of the car. Took it out through the checkpoint. Don’t inspect his car steel, because he is a permanent resident town. His mistress was waiting for him at the exit Lyudmila Zhilina, whom he called and asked me to come help hide the body.

Now the investigation had to figure out A man killed his wife in a state of passion or was it intentional crime. The man decided to hide traces of his crimes and again not just even hide, and also pretend that she disappeared. That is, he hoped that he would not they will find it anyway. Therefore, with from a psychological point of view he acted quite cold-bloodedly.

[music] Officer Sentsov was convicted by the military court sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for premeditated murder. Intuition did not let the operatives down. The answer was much closer than it seemed. Painstaking work, minor details, on which perhaps others would not notice attention, led detectives to a solution this terrible crime.

Lyudmila received a small suspended sentence term. She turned out to be pregnant and Sentsov tried it to the last fence off. At least here he behaved like a man. [music]