Vasiliy Sergeyevich Kulik was born on January 17, 1956, in Irkutsk, which was part of the Soviet Union. He was the youngest of three children in his family. His father, Sergei Kulik, was a doctor of Biological Sciences and also wrote books. His mother was a school headmistress. The Kulik family was considered respectable in their community. Vasiliy generally had a good relationship with his family, although he had moments of aggressive behavior.

From a young age, Vasiliy showed some troubling behavior, including sleepwalking and hurting animals. In school, he was a dedicated boxer and even became the city boxing champion. He had many girlfriends, but one significant relationship ended when the girl moved to another city, which led her to become depressed.

At 18, Vasiliy joined the Soviet Army and served from 1974 to 1976. After his time in the army, he began studying to become a doctor at the Irkutsk Medical Institute. During his studies, he often tried to attract women’s attention, but many of his attempts were unsuccessful. Eventually, he married a lawyer, and they had children together.

In 1980, Vasiliy faced a critical incident when he was robbed and severely beaten by a group of young people. He sustained injuries to his head during this attack. Following this incident, he reported having troubling thoughts and fantasies related to sexual acts. Later that year, he wrote a novel that included unsettling themes involving a relationship with a young girl.

Vasiliy graduated from the Irkutsk Medical Institute in 1982 and began working as a medic at the ambulance station in Irkutsk. 

Vasiliy Sergeyevich Kulik committed a series of violent crimes between 1984 and 1986. He began his criminal activities after working as a medic in Irkutsk. Kulik used information obtained from his patients to break into their homes. He targeted children and elderly women.

His first murder happened in 1984. He drugged, raped, and strangled an elderly woman he met on the street. Kulik then killed an eight-year-old girl and a 53-year-old woman, using both a gun and a kitchen knife. Over the next two years, Kulik murdered a total of 13 people. His victims included six children, the youngest being just 2 years old, and seven elderly women, the oldest being 75 years old.

On January 17, 1986, Kulik was arrested after a failed attack. He was beaten and subdued during this incident. After his arrest, he confessed to all the murders, although his confession was initially met with skepticism. Further investigations confirmed his guilt.

On August 11, 1988, Kulik was convicted of the 13 murders and nearly 30 additional rapes and assaults. He received a death sentence. Kulik was executed by firing squad on June 26, 1989, in Irkutsk.