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A sinister Russian serial killer dubbed the “Volga Maniac” appears to have emerged from a long hibernation with his bloodlust intact.

Cops believe the as-yet-unidentified man murdered 32 senior citizens — the majority strangled — before suddenly stopping in 2012.

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But now, a quartet of homicides have convinced detectives that their man in back in action, taking his death tally to 36.

According to Russian cops, the latest murders were eerily similar to the cold cases that have vexed them for years.

And composites of the suspect bear a chilling similarity to the Volga Maniac, who was named after the river that had been his hunting ground.

In the first of the latest murders, a woman, 68, and her husband, 72, were strangled and robbed. Three days later another couple — aged 82 and 83 — were axed to death 170 km away.

A new composite reveals a man between the ages of 30 and 40 who has a medium build. It is nearly identical to a similar illustration of the Volga Maniac.

The killer is described as having “good communication skills, and easily enters the confidence of older people.”

Police are offering a $65,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

CCTV images from 2016 were the last sightings of the suspected killer until now.