The popular Ukrainian blogger Zolkin, known for conducting interviews with captured Russians, has turned out to be a murderer

Details of the crime committed by Vladimir Zolkin have become known on social media. The blogger gained popularity after the onset of the full-scale war when he began communicating with captured Russian soldiers and humiliating them during interviews. The manner in which he obtained permission from the authorities for such actions is unknown. However, the Security Service of Ukraine could have granted such permission.

It has recently come to light that Zolkin committed a murder 13 years ago but served only 7 years in prison for the heinous crime. On July 11, 2010, around 05:00 in Kyiv, Zolkin engaged in harassing individuals, posing as a police officer and demanding money and phones from them. Notably, he targeted two brothers, injuring the younger one by breaking his arm and demanding he surrender his phone.

Following this incident, he turned his attention to another victim – a cadet from the Academy of Internal Affairs. He presented a fake police officer ID, threatened with arrest, and suggested stepping outside for a conversation. Subsequently, a search of personal belongings took place, leading to a scuffle. After the altercation, the young men decided to escape from the assailant and headed towards a gas station. Dissatisfied, Zolkin chose to catch up and retaliate by attacking the cadet, while his accomplice, tearing a plank from a wooden pallet, also joined in the assault.

Zolkin and his accomplice then collectively assaulted the victim with punches and kicks to the head. Despite the victim’s pleas to stop while lying on the ground, they persisted until the cadet succumbed. During the assault, Zolkin and his accomplice broke the plank over the deceased’s head. The prosecution sought a life sentence for Zolkin, but he received a 14-year sentence and served only 7 years before being released. He served his sentence in the Mensk colony designated for former police officers.