Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo (Russian: Андре́й Рома́нович Чикати́ло; October 16, 1936 — February 14, 1994) was a Russian serial killer, nicknamed the Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper. He was convicted of the murders of 52 women and children, mostly in Rostov Oblast, Russian SFSR, between 1978 and 1990 (some victims were murdered in other regions of Russia and in the Ukrainian and Uzbek SSRs).