4 min readPanajiJun 28, 2026 08:14 AM IST
First published on: Jun 27, 2026 at 10:37 PM IST
A sessions court in Goa on Friday framed charges against a Russian national, who is accused of murdering two Russian women in Goa earlier this year.
Alexie Leonov, a fire display performer, was arrested in January 2026 for allegedly murdering two Russian women, Elena Kasthanova (37) and Elena Vaneeva (37), in Goa. According to the police probe, the accused allegedly murdered Vaneeva (37) – a bubble performer and an artist – at her rented accommodation in Morjim on the night of January 14 by slitting her neck with a sharp knife. The following day, on January 15 at 9.15 pm, Leonov allegedly restrained Kasthanova (37) – a go-go dancer and usher at weddings – in her rented room in Arambol by tying her hands with a rope-like material and slit her neck with a sharp weapon.
The court framed charges against Leonov under section 103 (1) (murder) and section 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) of BNS, 2023. The prosecution argued before the court that there was sufficient material on record based on the disclosure panchanama, the statements of the witnesses, recoveries and medical evidence to establish the involvement of the accused in the murders. The counsel for the accused submitted that necessary orders be passed upon considering the material on record.
In the immediate aftermath of the murders, the Goa police had claimed that the motive behind the crimes was a “monetary dispute amongst them.” However, Leonov is learnt to have told police in his disclosures that he was in a relationship with both women and was “living-in” with them. Police said Leonov claims he suspected Kasthanova was in a relationship with another man, while he allegedly killed Vaneeva over a monetary dispute. Leonov had also told the police in his disclosure statements that he killed “multiple women”. The police, however, dismissed his claims, stating he was involved in killing two women as per the probe.
According to the chargesheet filed by the police, Leonov occasionally visited Vaneeva, and on the day of the murder, on January 14, he came to her house around 11.30 am to help her in shifting some articles. He was in her room until 11 pm, according to a witness’s testimony.
Vaneeva was found murdered on January 16 in the bathroom of her house in a slightly decomposed condition. A knife was found on her upper chest.
According to the police probe, Vaneeva had contacted a friend, Vasilii Karavaev, on the day of the incident and informed him that Leonov was at her house and had allegedly been threatening her and refusing to leave the house. When her friend rushed to her house at 6:41 pm, he noticed that the house was locked and the room next to it was partly open. He tried contacting Vaneeva on her phone, but when there was no response, he returned to his house.
In the chargesheet, the police cited the statement of one Elena Loginovich, a material witness in the case, who told the police that Leonov was a friend of Kasthanova. In her statement, Loginovich said she saw Kasthanova lying on the floor with her body facing towards the floor and her head towards the bathroom door and a pool of blood around her head on January 15. She claimed she saw the accused standing with his right leg placed on Elena’s body.
In a state of panic, she yelled “ambulance” and “police” and ran to the ground floor, where the owner stayed and told them to call the ambulance and the police. “The statement of Elena Loginovich, prima facie, shows the involvement of the accused in the crime,” it said.
Police probe also found that on January 15, around 11 am, Leonov allegedly attacked a male friend of Kasthanova with a metal object when the latter was walking towards his car from a restaurant.
Accused Aleksei Leonov. (Special Arrangement) 
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