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INTRODUCTION
I’m sure if we thought about it for a moment, we’d admit we’re all a bit odd in one way or another—personality quirks, music preferences, guilty pleasures, even hobbies. I feel confident in saying there is no such thing as “normal”—at least not in a way that’s easy to define. In the same way, if we thought about it for a moment, I think we’d all admit when something—or someone—just feels off. Maybe we can’t pinpoint an exact reason, maybe it’s just vibes; but there are times when we can sense it.
The name Anatoly Moskvin may not mean anything to you at this moment. But the horrifying story surrounding him is guaranteed to give you nightmares. Because Anatoly Moskvin, a Russian historian—and a seemingly normal guy with a seemingly normal life, was anything but. In 2005, he was commissioned to complete a seemingly mundane task—“to summarize and list the dead in more than 700 cemeteries in forty regions of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.” Moskvin was a “self-proclaimed expert on cemeteries and dubbed himself a “necropolyst.” In 2011, Anatoly Moskvin was arrested after a series of grave desecrations.
But that’s not all.
In this episode of The Red Treehouse, we’re going to explore the horrifying case of Anatoly Moskvin, The “Doll Man” of Russia. What compelled Anatoly Moskvin to do what he did?
I’ll share the story. You decide for yourself.
I’m your host, Will. Welcome to The Red Treehouse.
ANATOLY MOSKVIN, THE “DOLL MAN” OF RUSSIA
Anatoly Moskvin was born on September 1, 1966, and by all accounts had a typical childhood. Things changed in 1979, when Anatoly was 13 years old. In an article written by Moskvin and published by Necrologies, “a weekly publication dedicated to cemeteries and obituaries,” he described a life-altering incident. One day, while on the way home from school, young Anatoly Moskvin was stopped by “a group of men in black suits.” The men were on their way to the funeral of a young girl—11-year-old Natasha Petrova—and after stopping Moskvin, compelled him to go with them.
Moskvin reluctantly agreed.
At some point after arriving, the group of men dragged Moskvin to the coffin where he was forced to kiss the corpse. Describing this in the article, Moskvin stated, “I kissed her once, then again, then again.” Another article stated, “an adult pushed my face down to the waxy forehead of the girl in an embroidered cap, and there was nothing I could do but kiss her as ordered.” What happened next was strange: the dead girl’s mother took two wedding rings and placed one on Moskvin’s finger—and then placed the other on her dead daughter’s finger. She then declared them to be married.
Though it’s near-impossible to confirm the truthfulness of the story, the incident had a profound impact on Anatoly Moskvin, as it led to a strong belief in magic, the occult, and ultimate an obsession with cemeteries and the dead. As he progressed into his teenage years, Moskvin’s obsession grew with him—he was known to wander cemeteries for hours.
As he grew into adulthood, Moskvin graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in Philology, which is “the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of literary texts and oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their original form, and the determination of their meaning.”
According to one article, nearly 40% of the world’s population speaks 1 language, while nearly 3% of the population can speak over four languages. Less than 1% of people worldwide can speak five or more languages.
Anatoly Moskvin was brilliant—he spoke 13 languages.
And he was well-known in academia. His main interests were Celtic history and folklore; and even more specifically—cemeteries, rituals, death, and the occult. One article stated, “Anatoly Moskvin became deeply interested in druid practices and discovered that druids slept on graves of their dead to communicate with them.” He worked at the Institute of Foreign Languages and lectured at Nizhny Novgorod Linguistic University, and published books, papers, and translations. He also contributed to local newspapers and smaller publications like Necrologies; and he considered himself a sort of journalist.
It appears Moskvin took his marriage to the long-deceased Natasha Petrova seriously, as there are no records of him having a relationship while in college. In fact, his “marriage” may have contributed to a secluded lifestyle. He preferred to live at home with his parents and abstained from smoking and drinking.
In 2005, Oleg Riabov commissioned Moskvin to “summarize and list the dead in more than 700 cemeteries in forty regions of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.”
By Moskvin’s own admission, he spent the next two years traveling—on foot—to inspect 752 cemeteries across the region. On some days, he walked nearly 19 miles, and his commitment quickly became an obsession. While traveling to each cemetery, Moskvin “drank from puddles, spent nights in haystacks and at abandoned farms, or slept in the cemeteries themselves, even going so far as to spend a night in a coffin being prepared for a funeral.”
You heard that right.
Moskvin sometimes slept inside a coffin being prepared for burial—with the corpse still inside.
Earlier I mentioned he discovered druids sometimes slept on graves to communicate with the dead. It seems Moskvin picked up this practice, as well. In fact, it was reported he often slept on children’s graves—and had been doing so for more than 20 years. He claimed the practice helped him communicate with the dead and determine if they were spirits or demons. One article stated, “the spirits only appeared in warm weather, and you can’t really sleep on a cold grave anyway, so he figured a clever way to dry them slowly…”
As Moskvin traveled from cemetery to cemetery, he took extensive notes. And on occasion, he was questioned by police who suspected him of vandalism and theft. Despite this, Moskvin was never arrested or detained.
Between 2006 and 2010, Moskvin worked for the Nizhny Novgorod Worker and published articles twice per month on the history of the cemeteries in the region.
Sometime in 2009, families in and around the Nizhny Novgorod region discovered something disturbing—the graves of their loved ones were desecrated.
And, in some cases, the graves were completely dug up.
Officials were concerned the desecrations were being done by extremist organizations; and to gain more information, they set up specialized police units with the hope of catching the individual or individuals responsible.
For two years, they patrolled.
And for two years, the desecrations continued with little to no leads.
In 2011, Moscow was rocked by a terrorist attack at Domodedovo airport, and within a short time, officials heard reports of grave desecrations in Nizhny Novgorod.
But these desecrations were different than the ones before, because in this case, only the graves of Muslim’s were being damaged. As they followed this lead, police eventually caught Anatoly Moskvin—he was “painting over the pictures of dead Muslims.”
Moskvin was quickly arrested, and investigators went to his home a short time later.
Inside Moskvin’s home, investigators were startled to find 29 life-sized dolls scattered throughout. The dolls “appeared to be antique, dressed in fine clothing, some with boots, some wearing makeup.” Another article stated, “some wore knee-high boots, others had makeup on over faces Moskvin had covered in fabric. He had also hidden their hands in fabric.”
As investigators moved throughout the apartment, one of them bumped into one of the dolls—and it immediately began playing music. They quickly discovered Moskvin had placed music boxes inside the chest cavity of several of the dolls. And as they opened the dolls to access the music boxes, they discovered something else.
Something they weren’t prepared for.
Something that would horrify even the most seasoned investigator—and the rest of the world.
Anatoly Moskvin had created nearly three dozen dolls and dressed and painted makeup on them. But the dolls were a shell—and inside the dolls were the mummified remains of over 25 girls and women. They ranged in age from 3 to 29 years old. Investigators also found pictures and plaques taken from gravestones, instructions on how to make dolls, and diagrams and maps of local cemeteries.
When placing the mummified corpses inside the dolls, Moskvin also placed personal belongings and clothing. It was discovered that many of the corpses were wearing the clothes they were buried in. Many of the corpses came from local cemeteries in Nizhny Novgorod; however, some came from as far away as Moscow. Though Moskvin lived with his parents, they were unaware the dolls contained the remains of girls and women.
As the investigation unfolded, police discovered Moskvin tried to mask the smell of decay with herbs and deodorant—and that Moskvin wasn’t content to simply create the dolls. He wanted them to live with him and he’d created a “private world where he could escape the confines of his isolation, a dark sanctuary where he played the roles of both creator and companion to his macabre collection.”
After his arrest, Moskvin cooperated with the police and gave detailed answers to many of their questions.
Of course, the most important was why? Why exhume the bodies and create the dolls in the first place?
One article stated, “Moskvin explained that he dug up the girls’ bodies simply because he was lonely. He had always dreamed of having children but considering that he was single and Russian adoption agencies wouldn’t allow him to adopt because of his financial status, it seemed as though it would never happen.”
But that’s not all.
“He also mentioned that he was waiting for science to progress enough to be able to bring the dead back to life. He took note of each girl’s birthday that was displayed on their headstone and celebrated each and every one as if they were his children.”
Here’s how he did it:
As Moskvin’s obsession grew more intense, he would go to local cemeteries and carefully select specific graves—preferably those of young girls, “whom he eerily termed his darlings.” Then, under the cover of night, he exhumed their bodies and brought them back to his home. The exhumation was one part of the process.
Once in his home, Moskvin began the process of preserving the remains—“he treated the remains with a concoction of salt and baking soda, meticulously rubbing the mixture into their skin to desiccate the tissues and prevent decay. This mummification process was both a scientific and ritualistic act, intended to stall the natural processes of decomposition and prepare the bodies for their next macabre transformation.”
After preserving the remains, Moskvin completed the process by transforming them into dolls. One article stated:
“Moskvin went to great lengths to ensure each figure was both visually and tactilely realistic. He would stuff the hollowed-out bodies with rags to give them form and structure, meticulously sewing the incisions with a precision that belied his unhinged mindset. The clothing he chose was often vibrant and youthful, with dresses, socks, and shoes carefully selected to reflect the ages and personalities he imagined for his silent companions. Over their preserved faces, he fitted masks which he had crafted from wax and painted in painstaking detail to bestow upon them new, eerie visages. These masks featured hollow, expressionless eyes that seemed to stare blankly into space, adding a haunting realism to the figures.”
But what about the music boxes? It seems Moskvin placed them in the chest cavity—where their hearts once beat—to give them a sort of “life through sound.” When Moskvin touched each doll, the music box would fill the space with an eerie melody. It was also discovered Moskvin had one of the girls in his home for nine years.
Anatoly Moskvin was eventually charged “under Article 244 of the Criminal Code for the desecration of graves and dead bodies, a charge which carried up to five years in prison.” At first, Moskvin was also charged with the desecration of the graves of Muslims—which is a hate crime; however, this charge was later dropped. After hearing the formal charges against Moskvin, the public was outraged, as many felt the charges were inadequate for the violation Moskvin had committed against their loved ones.
Considering the strange nature of his offense, Moskvin was taken for a psychiatric evaluation, where it was determined “he had a form of paranoid schizophrenia”; and because he was severely mentally ill, Moskvin was unable to stand trial. He was sentenced to serve out his sentence in a psychiatric ward and was set to release in 2018; however, in 2020, a judge renewed his psychiatric detention. The victims’ families believe he should stay locked up for the rest of his life.
When Moskvin was asked if he regretted his actions or wanted to apologize to the families, he stated, “You abandoned your girls; I brought them home and warmed them up. So no, I would not apologize.”
It was reported Anatoly Moskvin told authorities not to bother reburying the girls—as he would exhume them as soon as he was released.
CONCLUSION
I’ll admit: this is one of the strangest and most disturbing cases I’ve ever researched. Moskvin held something much darker beneath the “normal guy” façade he put on. That he’d been exhuming corpses and creating dolls in his home for nearly 10 years is absolutely wild to me.
His story is a case study in the balance between mental health support and criminal justice, and it almost feels like a chicken and egg scenario—which should be dealt with first? His Moskvin’s mental health struggles or his crimes? But as important—did Anatoly Moskvin show any warning signs prior to his arrest? Were there red flags that popped up from time to time or were the people around him completely unaware of his crimes?
And, what’s fascinating to me is Moskvin didn’t commit murder—none of the corpses (and it is believed he desecrated nearly 150 graves) died by his hand. But their exhumation, mummification, and transformation into dolls were just as dehumanizing, and to me at least, served as a metaphor for the mask Moskvin wore. A mask that hid his deepest, darkest, dysfunction from public view. How many other people wear similar masks?
As we close this episode of The Red Treehouse, we’re left with these lingering questions: what compelled Anatoly Moskvin to do what he did?
I’ve shared the story. Now you decide for yourself.
I’m your host, Will. Thanks for joining me in The Red Treehouse.
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