Convicted Russian contract killer marries admirer in prison for fourth time

Alexei Sherstobitov, a convicted Russian contract killer serving a 23-year sentence, has married Yulia Gvozdetskaya in a high-security prison in the Lipetsk region. The marriage has drawn attention because Sherstobitov became a cult figure among female admirers while imprisoned, and is reportedly due for release in three years.

Known as “Lyosha the Soldier”, Sherstobitov was convicted of 12 murders and attempted murders linked to Moscow’s gang wars in the 1990s. His victims included gangland leaders Otari Kvantrishvili and Grigory Gusyatinsky; he was also reportedly ordered to kill billionaire Boris Berezovsky, but the plan was called off. Gvozdetskaya, 48, is a former civil servant and mother of two; this is Sherstobitov’s fourth marriage, following the breakdown of his previous marriage in 2020.