Bio

Yevgeny Krasnoshchok was born in 1988 in Ukraine. Before the murder of Oksana Makar, Krasnoshchok had left home as a teenager. He worked in several low-level jobs and lived in a hostel with his wife and young daughter. He was in his early twenties at the time of the crime.

Krasnoshchok became the main suspect in the attack on Oksana Makar. He was arrested on March 11, 2012, three days after the attack. Unlike two of the other suspects, he remained in police custody after arrest.

Murder Story

On the night of March 8–9, 2012, 18-year-old Oksana Makar was attacked in Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. She had met at least two of the men at a pub called Rybka, and later went with them to an apartment. Inside the apartment, Oksana was raped by three men. She was then strangled with a cord. After the attack, the men believed she was close to death or already dead. They moved her to a nearby construction site, wrapped her in a blanket, and set her on fire.

Oksana was found the next morning by a passing motorist. She was still alive. She was taken to hospital with burns over about 55 percent of her body and serious lung damage from smoke inhalation. Her injuries were severe, and doctors later had to amputate her right arm and both feet to stop gangrene from spreading.

The case quickly drew national attention. At first, all three suspects were arrested, but Maksym Prysiazhniuk and Artem Pohosian were released on police bail. This caused public anger because reports claimed that their families had political or official connections. Protests took place in Mykolaiv and other Ukrainian cities. After the protests, the two men were rearrested. Oksana was transferred to the Donetsk Burn Center, where a Swiss surgeon helped treat her. Despite medical efforts, she died on March 29, 2012, three weeks after the attack. She was buried the next day.

The trial began in May 2012 at the Central District Court in Mykolaiv. Prosecutors sought the harshest punishment for Krasnoshchok, who was treated as the lead offender. On November 27, 2012, the court sentenced Yevgeny Krasnoshchok to life imprisonment. Co-defendant Maksym Prysiazhniuk received 15 years, and Artem Pohosian received 14 years. RFE/RL and Ukrinform confirm that Krasnoshchok received life imprisonment while the other two men received fixed prison terms.