Alexander Nikolaevich Tchayka was born on July 23, 1974, in Sumy, which was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic at the time. He grew up in Ukraine during a period of social and political change. Not much is known about his family or early childhood, but his teenage years were marked by significant events.

In 1989, when he was just 14 years old, Tchayka became involved in a serious crime. He was arrested and convicted for participating in the gang-rape of a young girl. This led to a 5-year prison sentence at a facility near the city of Kharkiv. Tchayka spent several years in prison, where he was likely exposed to a harsh environment. However, he showed what the authorities called "excellent behavior" and was released on parole on July 16, 1993.

On January 31, 1994, Alexander Nikolaevich Tchayka committed his first murder in Moscow. He stabbed a 38-year-old woman 21 times. The injuries were so severe that only her son could identify her remains.

A week later, on February 7, Tchayka killed a 50-year-old woman. He stabbed her 17 times and stole her gold ring. The next day, on February 8, he murdered an 82-year-old woman. He stabbed her 8 times and took her handbag and another gold ring.

On February 12, Tchayka murdered a 40-year-old woman. Unlike the previous cases, police found some evidence during the investigation. However, they could not identify the killer.

After the fourth murder, police launched an operation to catch Tchayka. This operation was called "Shuba," which means fur coat in Russian. The target was women wearing fur coats, a common winter clothing choice in Russia. Police only had a few details about the suspect: he was young, tall, and wore black and gray clothing. Female officers in fur coats patrolled the streets to try to attract Tchayka's attention, but they had no success. One officer was even mugged at knife-point, but that attacker was not Tchayka.

On February 14, a detective in the Moscow Metro saw Tchayka. He was wearing a black jacket, gray-black pants, and carried a black bag. The detective thought Tchayka looked suspicious and followed him. A few hours later, he arrested Tchayka based on his behavior and appearance. After his arrest, Tchayka confessed to all the murders.

He was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death. However, he was not executed due to a moratorium on the death penalty in Russia. Tchayka is now serving a life sentence.