Radik Tagirov was born in May 1982 in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. He worked as a locksmith and had a criminal history of petty theft, for which he was convicted in 2009. After serving time for theft, he experienced a period of homelessness and struggled financially.

Between March 2011 and September 2012, Radik Tagirov carried out one of the most prolific serial murder sprees in modern Russian history. Dubbed the "Volga Maniac" by the media, he was responsible for the deaths of at least 31 elderly women across several regions, including Tatarstan, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Izhevsk, Perm, Samara, and Ufa. All victims were aged between 75 and 90 and lived alone in Soviet-era apartment blocks known as "khrushchevkas."

Tagirov pretended to be a maintenance worker to gain entry into the homes of these elderly women. Once inside, he strangled the women with bathrobe belts, cords, or his bare hands. The murders were almost always followed by theft of money, jewelry, or small valuables. Many of the victims lived in modest conditions, which meant Tagirov’s financial gain was minimal compared to the brutality of the crimes.

The first wave of murders occurred in Kazan, where nine elderly women were killed. One victim survived, but she was blind and could not offer a description of her attacker. The murders then spread to other cities, with two women killed in Perm in April 2012 and two more in Samara between April and May. By August 2012, the death toll had risen to 18. Tagirov committed his final known murders between 25 and 27 September 2012 in Ufa. On 26 September 2012, a breakthrough occurred when surveillance footage captured the suspect entering the home of one of the victims. 

For many years, Tagirov avoided capture. Police finally arrested him on December 1, 2020, after matching DNA evidence and shoe prints left at the crime scenes. Initially, he confessed to killing at least 25 women, but later tried to deny his confession, saying he had confessed under stress.

Tagirov's trial began in October 2022. After careful investigation and evidence, on March 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of Tatarstan found him guilty of 31 murders, along with several attempted murders and assaults. He received a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.