Bio

Sergey Aleksandrovich Pomazun was born on June 3, 1981, in Kupino, a village in Shebekinsky District, Belgorod Oblast, then part of the Soviet Union. His father, Alexander Pomazun, worked for many years at a fertilizer factory before leaving in the 1990s and later ran a private hunting farm in the district. His mother, Lyudmila Pomazuna, worked as an accountant in the local department of education.

Pomazun attended Belgorod secondary school No. 42. School records show he had poor grades in academic subjects but did well in practical subjects. In 1996 he entered vocational school No. 33 to train as an auto mechanic.

In 1999 Pomazun was conscripted into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The military medical board placed him in Category A, meaning he was judged fully fit for service. He was assigned to an electronic warfare battalion in Belgorod Oblast and worked as an electrician at the battalion’s headquarters. Colleagues described him as strange and said people rarely noticed him.

On December 20, 2012, Pomazun was released from prison and went to live with his parents. He kept mostly to himself and spent much time playing video games. His father said he began to show unusual behavior. He often repeated words, read the same lines aloud, and used obscene language. He sometimes switched a kitchen light on and off many times in a row, spoke in a whisper to himself, and wandered around the room. His father also said Pomazun took out family photo albums and his army photos and burned them, saying they were from a past life and interfered.

After his release, Pomazun tried to upgrade his driver’s license because he wanted to work as a taxi driver. He passed the theory test but failed the practical driving test several times. His family sought help from local authorities and a psychological clinic about his behavior. The clinic told them it had no right to force treatment and that Pomazun refused help, and appeals to the local police received no response.

Murder Story

On April 22, 2013, in Belgorod, Russia, six people were killed in a mass shooting. Sergey Pomazun went to a hunting store in downtown Belgorod and then shot people outside on the street. He used a semi-automatic rifle. He fled the city afterward.

Pomazun had taken guns and a car from his parents' home before going to the city. At the hunting store he demanded ammunition, was refused, and shots were fired inside the store. He then left the store and shots were fired at people on the street. Three people died at the scene and another died later in a hospital.

The victims were Alexander Ivaskov, Igor Malykhin, Mikhail Shamshurin, Alina Chizhikova, Sofia Gutsulyak, and Igor Boldyrev. Four of the victims were men aged between 28 and 49. Two were schoolgirls, aged 13–14 and 16–17.

Pomazun abandoned the car on the edge of a forest and buried a gun. Police launched a large manhunt with officers from several regions and special units. A reward was offered for his capture.

On April 23, 2013, Pomazun was arrested near a railway station in Kursk Oblast while trying to leave the area. He attacked police with a knife during the arrest and four officers were wounded. Pomazun later said he had been shooting "into hell."

Authorities declared days of mourning in Belgorod Oblast. The regional government promised to give one million rubles to each victim's family. Pomazun was charged, underwent psychiatric tests, and was found fit to stand trial.

At trial Pomazun confessed to the killings. He also told the court he had taken part in classified military missions and claimed to have killed more people during the Second Chechen War. The court found him guilty of six murders and other charges.

On August 23, 2013, Pomazun was sentenced to life in a high-security penal colony and ordered to pay three million rubles in compensation. Since January 28, 2014, he has been held at the Snowy Owl Prison in Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.