Oleg Vladimirovich Kuznetsov was born on April 30, 1969, in Balashikha, a town in the Moscow Oblast of Russia. His parents divorced when he was just five years old. After the divorce, he lived with his father because he did not get along with his mother. As a child and teenager, Kuznetsov was very asocial. This means he had difficulty connecting with other people. Despite this, he began an active sexual life when he was just 16 years old.

Kuznetsov was talented in sports, especially biathlon, which is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. He completed eight grades in school and then attended a vocational school, known as GPTU, to further his education. Additionally, he trained in an organization called DOSAAF, which focused on military and sports training. After finishing his education, he was drafted into the army.

Oleg Kuznetsov served in the army in Kyiv, Ukraine. His army service lasted from 1985 to 1988, which was a significant time in his life. During this period, he also committed several rapes. These early experiences shaped the path of his later life significantly.

Oleg Vladimirovich Kuznetsov committed his first known murder on May 7, 1991. At that time, he was a taxi driver. He picked up a girl who asked him to drive her home. During the ride, he offered her a drink. Kuznetsov stopped the car near the Kupavna neighborhood. They had sex, but in the morning, the girl demanded payment for the night. She threatened to report him to the police if he didn’t pay. This made Kuznetsov angry, and he killed her immediately. He hid her body in a nearby mound, where it was found later by passers-by.

From May to November 1991, he committed several rapes in Balashikha. On November 12-13, 1991, he threatened another victim with a knife in a cemetery and raped her. The victim recognized him and reported him to the police. After this, Kuznetsov moved to Kyiv, believing that the chaos from the collapse of the USSR would help him avoid capture. He decided that he would need to kill any victims he assaulted to prevent them from reporting him.

In Kyiv, he murdered four women in January 1992, assaulting them and stealing from them. These attacks took place on January 6, 19, 24, and 27. Some of his victims had their eyes gouged out. One attack was unsuccessful. The girl fought back and was able to describe Kuznetsov to the police. He was then given the nickname "False Dmitry." 

In February, he moved to Moscow and continued his crimes. He killed five more women between February 25 and March 21, 1992, in Izmaylovsky Park.

Kuznetsov was apprehended on March 26, 1992. He confessed to all the murders and rapes he committed. His court trial began on December 1, 1993. Initially, he was sentenced to death, but this was changed to life imprisonment in 1999. He served his sentence in a special regime colony in Mordovia. Oleg Kuznetsov died of heart failure on August 4, 2000, at the age of 31.