The Skopin Kidnappings

Disappearance

In September 2000, Ekaterina Martynova, 14, and Elena Samokhina, 17, disappeared after an evening out in the Ryazan region. Russian reporting later established that Viktor Mokhov had abducted them and confined them in a hidden underground space at his property in Skopin.

The girls remained in captivity for more than three and a half years. Contemporary and later reporting documents repeated sexual violence and coercive control. This case file does not reproduce unnecessary or graphic details of that abuse.

The note that led to rescue

In 2004, the captives managed to pass a written plea for help outside the property. The message reached police, who located the site and freed both girls on May 4, 2004.

Authorities arrested Mokhov. A woman identified as Elena Badukina was also prosecuted for her role in the abduction and received a separate prison sentence.

Conviction and sentence

On August 30, 2005, the Skopin City Court sentenced Mokhov to 17 years in a strict-regime penal colony for offenses including kidnapping and rape of minors. The sentence was later reduced by two months following legal changes.

The conviction is important to distinguish from media nicknames that later surrounded the case: this page treats Mokhov as a convicted offender based on the court outcome, not on sensational labels.

Release and supervision

Mokhov was released on March 3, 2021 after serving almost 17 years. Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service confirmed the release. Court materials cited by Russian media also show that administrative supervision was imposed for six years, including reporting and movement restrictions.

The release generated renewed public debate in Russia about media treatment of convicted offenders and the continuing impact on victims. Those later debates do not change the underlying adjudicated status of the kidnapping and sexual-violence convictions.

Current status

The case is Solved / Adjudicated. Mokhov was convicted in 2005, served the custodial sentence imposed after later adjustment, and was released under administrative supervision in 2021.