The Borman Gang and the Almaty Serial Murders

Between 1998 and 2000, investigators in Almaty and the surrounding Almaty Region confronted a pattern of killings that initially appeared to involve unrelated offenders. The victims included young women, several schoolgirls and men killed during robbery-related crimes. A later investigative reconstruction connected the murders to a group led by Alexander Suvorov, nicknamed “Borman.”

A pattern that was not recognized at first

Because bodies were recovered in different jurisdictions and the cases were handled separately, investigators did not immediately treat the deaths as one series. A detailed 2020 retrospective in the Kazakh newspaper Vremya, built around the recollections of former deputy interior minister Makhambet Abisatov, says the cases were consolidated only at the end of 1999 after analysts recognized common features and created a special investigative-operational group.

The investigation involved officers from the Interior Ministry, Almaty police and Almaty Region police. The group was led by senior criminal-investigation personnel, while a separate operational file was developed around suspects connected to the Almaty-1 railway-station area.

Victims and the proved homicide count

The most detailed local retrospective says investigators ultimately established 29 intentional homicides committed in Almaty and Almaty Region between 1998 and 2000: 25 female victims killed in the serial sexual-violence pattern and four male victims killed during robberies. Seven of the female victims remained unidentified despite efforts that extended beyond Kazakhstan.

Another Kazakh retrospective published by MK Kazakhstan in 2016 used a shorter description saying the group raped and killed 28 women. Because local summaries do not use identical shorthand, this dossier does not inflate the count or merge unverified claims. It follows the more detailed investigative account that explicitly breaks the proved total into 25 female and four male homicide victims.

The group mainly targeted women in the Almaty-1 and Seyfullin Street area. Several victims were minors. This file does not reproduce unnecessary details of the sexual violence or methods of killing.

The suspects and the investigation

Alexander Suvorov, known as Borman, had already drawn police attention before the entire series was connected. Other central figures identified in the investigation included Alexander Popikov, Vladimir Isupov, Andrei Sushchikh, Anvar Karazhanov, Nikolai Aksenov, Serik Myngyshev, Erlan Suleimenov and Elena Mikhaltsova. Additional people were accused of participating in particular episodes rather than being core members of the group.

Investigators faced major evidentiary problems. Different suspects gave shifting or incomplete accounts, some initially tried to claim crimes as individual acts, and details from separate killings were sometimes mixed together in statements. The investigative team used repeated interviews, cross-checking, forensic evidence and reconstruction of individual episodes to assign responsibility.

False additional confessions

A particularly important quality-control point in the historical record concerns claims of dozens of additional murders. According to Abisatov's account, several detained women at one point claimed involvement in roughly 60 more killings. Investigators could not match those claims to corresponding disappearances or crime scenes, and repeated searches failed to substantiate them. The women later admitted fabricating those accounts.

Those alleged additional murders are not counted in this dossier. Crime by Region uses only the homicide total the detailed investigative account describes as proved.

Deaths before judgment

Not every accused participant reached the final judgment. Alexander Popikov died in pretrial detention during the investigation. Vladimir Isupov died from tuberculosis in detention in 2002. Their deaths complicated the prosecution because surviving defendants could attribute greater responsibility to people who could no longer be cross-examined or tried.

Trial and sentences

The trial lasted more than a year and a half. On January 22, 2003, the Almaty Regional Court convicted the surviving defendants and imposed long prison terms. The detailed Kazakh retrospective reports sentences of up to 25 years. Later summaries identify Suvorov and Sushchikh among those who received the maximum 25-year terms, while other defendants received lesser but substantial sentences.

The operational file eventually filled 13 volumes and was transferred to the Almaty Academy of the Interior Ministry for use as instructional material in training investigators, underscoring the scale and complexity of the case.

Timeline

1. 1998
   Series begins

   Killings in Almaty and surrounding districts begin appearing in separate police files.

2. Late 1999
   Cases consolidated

   Investigators connect the pattern and create a special investigative-operational group.

3. January–February 2000
   Key arrests

   Several central suspects are detained as the investigation expands and episodes are reconstructed.

4. 2000
   Additional claims tested

   Investigators examine claims of many more killings but do not substantiate them.

5. 2002
   Isupov dies in detention

   His death, following Popikov's earlier death, complicates attribution of responsibility before judgment.

6. January 22, 2003
   Regional court judgment

   The surviving defendants are convicted and receive long prison terms of up to 25 years.