Dmitry Vinogradov

Case record: Dmitry Vinogradov (Moscow warehouse shooting, 7 November 2012)

Status

Dmitry Vinogradov was held in prison awaiting trial.

Timeline

• 7 November 2012 — A gunman carried out a shooting at a warehouse in northeast Moscow on Chermanskaya Street, killing six people and injuring one person; a second later died in hospital.
• 8 November 2012 — Vinogradov apologized in court and pleaded that he had “no other choice”; he also said he had wanted to kill himself after the massacre but was prevented from doing so.
• January (planned since) — An investigator said Vinogradov had been planning the spree since January.
• January 2013 (detention sanctioned) — A Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow issued a warrant for Vinogradov’s arrest and officially sanctioned detention until January 6, 2013.
• 7 November 2012 (manifesto posted hours before) — Vinogradov posted a hate manifesto on VKontakte before the shooting spree began (posted at 4.56am).
• 8 November 2012 (video release moments before/after) — CCTV footage and released images showed the moments before and during the attack.
• 12 November 2012 — Reports described that Vinogradov had told others about homicidal urges before the shooting.
• 22 April 2013 — Vinogradov was indicted for inciting extremism.

Background

Dmitry Vinogradov was a 30-year-old lawyer at the Rigla pharmaceutical company that owned the warehouse where the shooting took place. He was described as a familiar face to security officers.

Hours before the shooting, Vinogradov posted hate content on VKontakte. He had a romantic relationship with a female coworker and a breakup with a female coworker occurred in January. Multiple accounts stated the end of the romantic relationship and the period that followed were central to his motive.

Vinogradov was reported to have gone on a five-day drinking binge after being jilted by a co-worker. After the breakup, he was described as heavily depressed, and he was said to have sought psychiatric help and been prescribed pills that he did not take on Tuesday. Reports stated he had practiced shooting at a range outside of Moscow for the last six months.

A psychiatrist, Mikhail Vinogradov, compared Dmitry Vinogradov to Anders Breivik and described ideas of hatred and anger toward the world and planning of “evil doing,” and said:

“This man harbored ideas of hatred and anger to the world and he was planning his evil doing, such as where to do it, ”

Mikhail Vinogradov also said:

“The shooting does not fit with his manifesto, which is written in a clear and concise language.”

Mikhail Vinogradov further said:

“Most likely, it is schizophrenia. [The] catalyst in his situation could be ridicule by peers, inability to share his ideas with others, or just the fact that he did not fit into the team,”

Vinogradov’s mother, Elena Vinogradova, said:

“People at work mocked him somehow”

Elena Vinogradova also confirmed he had been prescribed pills, said he had not taken them on Tuesday, and described depression after the breakup and that he did not take the planned trip after the breakup decision. She stated:

“Before breaking up with [his girlfriend] he bought a trip for both of them to Edinburgh. But after the breakup he decided not to go by himself and then became heavily depressed.”

She also said he had sought psychiatric help and had been prescribed pills.

Another report described the psychiatrist’s diagnosis as “‘masked depression against the background of organic disorder,’” and stated he was prescribed numerous antidepressants, which had little effect and that he stopped taking them.

The offence

The gunman entered the warehouse on Chermanskaya Street at about 10 AM on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. He wore camouflage gear and was armed with two semi-automatic shotguns, a Saiga and a Benelli.

He shot dead three men and two women and injured two others, a male and female, at their desks before giving himself up to security guards.

In the hospital, one of the injured died during the night in intensive care, suffering from severe wounds. The sixth victim died in hospital the following day.

The shooting lasted about 18 seconds, according to video records.

Vinogradov was captured on security cameras moments before the shooting began.

Victims

Two women and three men were killed in the office shooting at the pharmaceutical company’s finance department, and a sixth victim later died in hospital.

The victims included:

• Elena Lapshina, 25
• Natalia Plekhanova, 25
• Alexander Biryuk, 33
• Andrei Tertiakov, 33
• Denis Moiseev, 33
• Nikita Strelnikov (died later in hospital)

One additional injured person was described:

• A 24-year-old woman named Yaroslava Sergenyuk was struck by a bullet to her chest that pierced her lung and another that damaged her nose; she was rushed to hospital by helicopter and was described as fighting for her life.
• Another account said a woman was injured as she attempted to flee and remained in critical condition.

A report described that Denis Moiseev was an accidental casualty because he had come to Rigla’s office that morning to be hired for work.

Investigation and evidence

Vinogradov was said to have been planning the spree since January.

It was reported that he was captured on security cameras moments before the shooting began.

One account stated he brought ammunition and a vest for the guns in his backpack. It also stated he spent almost half an hour changing clothes in a bathroom and preparing for the shooting. Another passage stated specific workplace timing:

• “He came to work at 8:19 am, came into the bathroom and, after he changed his clothes, went to reprisal at 9:49 am,” as quoted from Sergey Galashko.

A further report stated:

• “It took the killer 18 seconds, according to video records, to kill five people – four in the office room and one on his way in the corridor, Life News also reported.”

Detectives were to interrogate guards who did not display vigilance, letting the armed man in.

The prosecutor’s office demanded that VKontakte take down Vinogradov’s page.

Arrest and custody

Police arrested Dmitry Vinogradov. He was said to have been subdued by survivors in the room and then by security guards after he ran out of ammunition.

He was in police custody and was expected to undergo psychiatric evaluation soon.

Trial and court appearances

On 8 November 2012, Vinogradov apologized in court and pleaded that he had “no other choice”. He stated he had wanted to kill himself after the massacre but was prevented from doing so.

During an arraignment hearing in the Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow, investigators sought to sanction his arrest and expressed concern that if released on bail he could tamper with crucial evidence. The prosecutor noted Vinogradov constituted a significant threat and that the rampage caused a public uproar, and that he should be arrested. Vinogradov did not object to being arrested.

The judge issued a warrant for his arrest after 40 minutes of deliberation, sanctioning detention until January 6, 2013.

Charges and legal proceedings

Vinogradov faced charges connected to the killings at the Rigla warehouse. One report stated he was charged with mass murder.

Another report stated he was indicted for inciting extremism.

A later report stated that he was charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, including murder, assassination attempt, supporting extremism.

Motive and statements

Vinogradov told police that he targeted those he believed were responsible for his breakup with a female coworker. In one police interrogation account, Vinogradov said:

“I was going out with one girl for a long time, but in January of this year we broke up,”
“I tried to restore relations, but failed.”

He said he had wanted to kill himself after the killings and that he had been planning the spree. In one cited confession, Vinogradov stated:

‘We were dating for a long time but in January this year we split up. I tried to get her back but failed. ’
‘In March, I bought a rifle and 200 bullets and a uniform. ’
‘My colleagues are to blame - they advised Anya to split with me. I came into the office where Anya worked and said: “Hello, colleagues”, and she saw how I began to shoot all of them. ’
‘I wanted them to see how strong I was and then I planned to kill myself.’

Another reported statement attributed to Vinogradov said:

“I went to the office where Anna worked, said, ‘Hello, colleagues, ’ and began shooting right in front of her eyes,”

He also stated:

“I wanted them to see that I'm cool, and then I wanted to kill myself.

Another quoted passage stated:

“I just wanted to make Anna see what she’s made of me. I wanted to kill as many people as possible right in front of her eyes,”

A report also quoted him as saying:

“I wanted to kill as many people as possible in front of her eyes right in front of her eyes,”

In the same context, another account included:

“I cannot communicate with people,”

and:

“Anything could be expected from them, they might laugh at or abase me. I love solitude most.”

Vinogradov said that he bought a trip for both of them to Edinburgh, and that after breakup he became heavily depressed. (This detail was given by his mother, Elena Vinogradova.)

Hate manifesto and online content (verbatim)

Vinogradov posted a hate manifesto on VKontakte before the killing spree, imitating Anders Breivik.

The manifesto included the following text, as quoted:

“I am sure that I have good reason to believe all of humanity is cancer living on this planet,”

The manifesto also stated:

“Already in 2011 the world population reached seven billion, and this is despite the fact that current consumption rates already exhausted the Earth’s resources."

It further argued:

“I hate the human society, and I hate to be a part of it, I hate the futility of human life, I hate this very life, I see only one way to justify it: to destroy as many particles of human compost as possible,”

The manifesto ended with a call:

“understand that you are not wanted here, you are the genetic garbage that is here on Earth because of an error in the evolution. You are trash that needs to be destroyed.”

A different passage quoted additional manifesto phrasing as part of court proceedings and later reporting:

“I hate human society, I oppose being a part of it! I hate the senselessness of human life! I hate this very life! I see only one way to justify it: destroy as many particles of this human compost as possible...”

It also described appeals and justifications for mass extermination, referenced in the context of psychological and linguistic assessments of the text.

A psychiatrist, Mikhail Vinogradov, compared Dmitry to Breivik and discussed the manifesto language as clear and concise. He stated:

Psychiatric evaluation and prior warning signs

Reports stated Vinogradov was diagnosed with “‘masked depression against the background of organic disorder,’” and that he was prescribed antidepressants.

Other psychiatrists speculated after the massacre that he may have been wrongly diagnosed and that psychosis and schizophrenia would have been more accurate. They noted antidepressants could be contraindicated for such diagnoses and could trigger aggressive outbursts via serotonin syndrome.

A separate report stated that psychiatrists speculated that he had been wrongly diagnosed and that he had stopped taking medication.

Another report said investigators found that Vinogradov reportedly told multiple people of homicidal urges before the incident, including a female colleague at Rigla, a psychiatrist, and his ex-girlfriend, Anna Kaznikova.

It also described a caption on a photo of an African boy with a machine-gun on his Vkontakte page, with the caption:

“Off with racism, kill them all.”

The report alleged this was a cry for help directed at his ex-girlfriend, Anna Kaznikova.

Other details

Vinogradov’s girlfriend was said to be safe.

Security guards were described as allowing him to sneak the rifles in undetected, and the report stated that both guns were registered under his name.

Life News quoted head of the regional investigative committee, Sergey Galashko, as saying:

“All his moves were recorded by CCTVs. He came to work at 8:19 am, came into the bathroom and, after he changed his clothes, went to reprisal at 9:49 am,”

A report described that the head of Rigla’s economic security Andrey Fedoseev was sacked following the tragedy.

Colleagues characterized Vinogradov’s personality prior to the mass shooting as considerate and polite.

Online comments after the shooting ranged from anger to obscene name-calling, including one user saying:

“Idiot! You should have started with yourself and your own relatives first!!! Why did you leave them alone?”

Another user said:

“I hope you live until one hundred and rot alone in prison."

During the court proceedings, Aleksey Kuzyukin, appointed by the court to represent Vinogradov, claimed his client to be insane.

A psychiatrist and Vinogradov’s mother described mocked behavior and depression after the breakup, and a trip to Edinburgh that he did not go on alone.

The case proceedings included an arraignment hearing at Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow where witnesses’ testimonies were read out.

After the massacre, the VKontakte page and manifesto remained up, with the manifesto receiving around 17,000 likes.