Russia's Investigative Committee says they have arrested a man who is "currently confessing" to the murders between 2011 and 2012.
ADVERTISEMENTRussian authorities have arrested a man in Tatarstan on suspicion of killing 26 elderly women near the Volga river.
The so-called "Volga maniac" killed and robbed 26 women across the Central, Volga, and Ural federal districts of Russia between 2011 and 2012.
The suspect allegedly conned his way into the apartments of elderly women living alone by impersonating an electrician, plumber, or social worker. The crimes had remained unsolved for years.
But on Tuesday, Russia's Investigative Committee has named the suspect as 38-year-old Radik Tagirov from Kazan and said he was "currently confessing" to the murders.
He had been identified using DNA evidence, shoe prints, and other evidence from crime scenes, investigators said.
"A man suspected of committing a series of especially grave crimes of past years was detained in Tatarstan," said the Investigative Committee.
"Based on the results of forensic research and analysis of biological objects and other traces of crimes found at the scene of the incident, it was established that all acts were committed by one person."
"This was indicated by the coincidence of the genotype and footprints of the attacker, as well as the stereotypical nature of his actions."
Tagirov had a previous conviction for theft in 2009, the Committee added in a statement.
"After the completion of urgent investigative actions, a petition will be sent to the court to choose a preventive measure in the form of detention."