Held Captive by a Russian Serial Killer

Held Captive by a Russian Serial Killer

From True Crime Reports by Al Jazeera

July 13, 2025 · 34 min · Season 1 · Episode 14

About this episode

The episode recounts the harrowing escape of Irina Ganyushkina from a Russian serial killer and the challenges faced by survivors in rebuilding their lives.

In the late 1990s, the quiet of a small Russian town was shattered when Irina Ganyushkina stumbled into a police station—an escapee from a living nightmare. Irina revealed to authorities that she was one of five women kidnapped and held captive in a secret underground bunker by a notorious serial killer: Aleksandr Komin, chillingly nicknamed ‘the maniac.’ For Irina and the other survivors, freedom was only the beginning. In a country where women’s stories of violence are too often dismissed, they now faced a new challenge: rebuilding their lives after unimaginable horror. In this episode: Dariana Gryaznova, human rights lawyer Episode credits: This episode was written and produced by Anna Staufenberg and hosted by Halla Mohieddeen. Executive Producer: Ney Alvarez. Production Managers: Bronte Baskin. Senior Producers: Marthe van der Wolf and Bronte Baskin. Post-Production Supervisor: Andrés Rivera Assistant Producers: Leo Danczak, Sophie McNulty, and Catherine Nouhan. Fact-checking by Ruby Zaman, Catherine Nouhan, and Rached El-Moctar. Audio editing by Alan Leer. Music composition by Tom Biddle. Lead of Engagement: Aya Elmileik. Engagement Producers…

People in this episode

Host: Halla Mohieddeen

Guest: Dariana Gryaznova

Topics covered

  • serial killer
  • kidnapping
  • survivor stories
  • human rights
  • violence against women

Keywords

  • Russian serial killer
  • Irina Ganyushkina
  • Aleksandr Komin
  • human rights lawyer
  • survivor stories

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Al Jazeera

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