Kushchyovskaya massacre

The Kushchyovskaya massacre, carried out on 4 November 2010, was the murder of 12 people including four children in the village of Kushchyovskaya, Krasnodar Krai of southern Russia. The family of wealthy local farmer Serever Ametov was targeted and stabbed to death, together with visiting friends and a bystander. The mass murder shocked Russia and highlighted links between criminals and corrupt officials, as the perpetrators were members of a gang who had received protection from the authorities and operated with impunity for years.

Sergei Tsapok, the convicted gang leader and mastermind of the murders, died in prison following a stroke on July 6, 2014. Three of his accomplices had recently committed suicide, the most recent two days prior.