Pavel Voitov was born in 1994 in Russia and grew up in various locations across the country. For a portion of his early life, he lived with his parents on Izmailovsky Boulevard. After his parents divorced, he moved to Riga, Latvia, where he lived with his father. While in Riga in 2012, he was convicted for desecrating graves in a Jewish cemetery and sentenced to one year in prison. His criminal behavior, anti-Semitic ideology, and violent tendencies were already present at a young age.

Voitov later returned to Russia and registered his residence with his grandmother in the Ruza District of the Moscow Oblast. He reportedly sustained himself by robbing people and stealing mobile phones, although only one of these incidents was confirmed. Voitov was also interested in military life and had aspirations of joining far-right militia groups. Along with two other future co-conspirators, Karataev and Pavlov, he attempted to join the far-right Ukrainian Azov Battalion during the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. However, they were instead stationed at the Russian-Ukrainian border and eventually returned to Moscow.

Between July 2014 and February 2015, Pavel Voitov led a group of neo-Nazi extremists who called themselves “The Cleaners.” Their goal was to rid Russian cities of people they deemed "unclean", primarily the homeless, alcoholics, and other vulnerable individuals. The gang's killing spree spread across Moscow, the Moscow Oblast, and the Yaroslavl Oblast.

Voitov played a central leadership role. He decided targets, delegated roles, and often carried out or directly participated in the brutal murders. The victims were often lured into secluded, camera-free locations, such as underpasses, abandoned warehouses, and forest clearings. Once isolated, they were savagely attacked, usually struck with a hammer first, then stabbed dozens of times with knives. In one of the most gruesome cases, a victim in Kuskovo was stabbed 171 times and hit with a hammer five times.

These were not spontaneous crimes. The gang tracked patterns, discussed ideology online, and documented some of their murders. Locations included Belorussky Station, Filevsky Park, Lilac Boulevard, and more. The level of overkill in the attacks (often 40 to 80 stab wounds per victim) reflected a deep hatred and ideological cruelty.

Despite the extreme violence and frequency of the killings, investigators struggled to find leads. It wasn’t until late 2014 that they noticed similarities in the method and victim profile across cases. After tracking mobile phones near multiple crime scenes, the FSB narrowed in on potential suspects.

On February 15, 2015, Voitov and Artur Narcissov attempted to kill a janitor in Vykhino, but the man survived and gave police a description. Just four days later, Voitov and Elena Lobacheva were arrested. Inside their apartment, police found six knives, a hammer, an unregistered pistol, and bloodstained clothing. The other members were soon detained: Pavlov, Karataev, and Narcissov. Shockingly, the suspects confessed to multiple killings even before being formally accused of them.

The trial began in 2017 and revealed the horror of their crimes. The jury heard testimony, viewed hundreds of graphic photos, and rejected all claims of leniency. The court concluded that Voitov personally committed 14 murders and participated in an attempted 15th. He was involved with all other members at different points, including in robberies and group killings.

On October 23, 2017, the Moscow City Court sentenced Pavel Voitov to life imprisonment. His co-conspirators received prison terms ranging from 9 years to 16 years.