The "Krasnodar Cannibals": A Story of Madness, Media, and a Missing Phone
Dismantle the Media
The case of Dmitry and Natalia Baksheev is one of the darkest chapters in modern Russian criminal history. Known globally as the “Krasnodar Cannibals,” their story is a horrific mix of domestic dysfunction, explosive violence, and a media frenzy that blurred the line between fact and urban legend.
Here is the true story of the couple, the crime, and how a single lost cell phone exposed a nightmare.
The Outcasts in the Dormitory
Natalia and Dmitry Baksheev were not masterminds; they were outcasts living on the fringes of society. Natalia, a former senior nurse with a medical background, had lost her way due to chronic severe alcoholism. Dmitry, an orphan with a rough past, worked odd jobs as a laborer.
They lived together in a dormitory on the grounds of a military aviation school in Krasnodar. Their neighbors knew them well, but not for good reasons. They were the couple everyone avoided—known for aggressive, alcohol-fueled fights and the strange, unpleasant smells that frequently drifted from their room.
A Flash of Jealousy
On the evening of September 8, 2017, the couple was drinking with a new acquaintance, 35-year-old Elena Vakhrusheva. What started as a social gathering quickly turned violent.
Natalia, believing Elena was flirting with Dmitry, flew into a rage. Using the intense psychological hold she had over her husband, she demanded he deal with her “rival.” Dmitry obeyed. He attacked Elena, stabbing her twice in the chest and killing her instantly. But the horror didn’t end with the murder. The couple dismembered Elena’s body, leaving some remains at the scene and taking others back to their dorm room to “preserve” them.
The Phone on the Road
The crime might have gone unsolved if not for a bizarre twist of fate three days later.
On September 11, road workers repairing a street in Krasnodar noticed a Samsung mobile phone lying on the ground. Looking for a contact to return the device to, they swiped through the photo gallery. What they saw stopped them cold: a series of selfies showing a man posing with severed human body parts, including a photo of him holding a woman’s hand in his mouth.
The workers handed the phone to the police, who quickly identified the man as Dmitry Baksheev. When questioned, Dmitry tried to claim he had just found the body parts in a dumpster and took the photos as a “morbid joke.” That lie fell apart the next day when investigators found Elena’s remains near the aviation academy.
Inside the Kitchen of Horrors
When police raided the couple’s dormitory, the reality was worse than the photos. They found a scene that looked like a horror movie set:
The Jars: Human remains were found pickled in glass jars containing saline solution—a preservation technique likely taken from Natalia’s nursing days.
The Freezer: Frozen meat was discovered in the kitchen, later confirmed to be human.
The Trophies: Investigators cataloged 19 fragments of skin and other anatomical “souvenirs.”
DNA testing confirmed that all the remains belonged to just one person: Elena Vakhrusheva.
The Media Myth: “30 Victims”
This is where the story spiraled out of control. As news of the “cannibal couple” broke, the tabloids and Telegram channels ran with a narrative that was far more terrifying than the facts.
Reports claimed the Baksheevs were prolific serial killers who had murdered and eaten up to 30 people since 1999. Rumors spread that Natalia baked human meat into pies to sell to military students and that police had found “video lessons for cannibals” in their home.
However, the actual investigation told a different story. The Russian Investigative Committee (SKR) was firm: there was only evidence of one murder—Elena Vakhrusheva. Despite the sensational headlines about “30 victims,” no other bodies were ever found, and no other murders were ever charged. The “cannibal pie” story was likely a grim invention of the rumor mill.
The Aftermath
The couple faced justice separately due to Dmitry’s deteriorating health (he suffered from severe diabetes and tuberculosis).
Natalia: Tried first, she attempted to pin everything on Dmitry, claiming his mental instability caused the crime. The jury didn’t buy it. In February 2019, she was convicted of inciting the murder and sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony.
Dmitry: He was convicted of murder and desecrating a corpse, receiving a 12-year sentence in a maximum-security prison.
Dmitry never finished his sentence. He died in a prison hospital in February 2020 from complications of his illnesses.
In a final, ironic twist, Natalia Baksheeva—serving time for inciting a brutal murder—sued the prison system for failing to provide her husband with proper medical care. In September 2023, a court actually sided with her, awarding her 300,000 rubles in compensation for his death. She remains in prison today.