One of the most elusive Russian gangsters was caught and convicted in 2013. Belkin Dmitry Konstantinovich, Belok, as he was called in narrow criminal circles, has terrorized Russia since 1990, always leaving it dry. This article talks about the rise and fall of this brutal bandit.
Dmitry Belkin: “the beginning of a career”
In the early 1990s, three main organized criminal groups operated in Moscow and its environs: Odintsovo, Orekhovsky, and Galyanovsky.
The Orekhov group, headed at that time by Sergey Timofeev with the gangster nickname Sylvester, was at war with the Galyanov group. The Odintsovo gang was created by Dmitry Belkin himself. It included his close friends, who were joined by retirees of special military units, including Oleg Pronin, known in the criminal world by his loud nickname Al Capone.
Odintsovo was a fertile land for robbery and extortion, which was successfully done by Dmitry Belkin. The squirrel, whose biography has been full of articles of the criminal code since childhood, chose this area not by chance. In the early nineties, Odintsovo was considered an elite district of Moscow, where there were ceremonial establishments and recreation areas, the owners of which were in a semi-legal state, and therefore they were defenseless against people like Belkin. But he was not going to remain in the role of an ordinary extortionist-extortionist all his life. Noticing the confrontation between the Orekhovskys and the Galyanovskys, I decided to use this conflict for my own selfish purposes, namely to move up the Moscow criminal ladder.
Association with Orekhovsky
Belkin was thinking about supporting one of the groups, thereby securing their support in the future, and maybe even leading it under his humble beginnings. Of the two gangs, Belok chose Orekhovskaya. In principle, the choice of the leader of the Odintsovo is not surprising, since its leader Sylvester, in fact, at one time achieved what Dmitry Belkin himself wanted.
Protein, whose biography speaks in favor of his intellect, understood that the Orekhov group was one of the oldest in Russia. It began to operate in the early 1980s, with the advent of the first cooperatives. Then Sergey Timofeev robbed private drivers at stations, extorted money from small traders. In the late 80s, Sylvester was sentenced to a short term for extortion, together with the then leader Mikhailov, who had once joined this group with the Solntsevskys.
Sylvester well learned all of Mikhailov’s lessons and was released not as a “pheasant”, but as a seasoned bandit. Already in 1991, the Orekhov group, once again put together by Timofeev, again terrified Moscow entrepreneurs. But on their way to gain influence and control, the Galyanovskaya gang stood up, not much inferior to Orekhovsky in its strength.
It was then that the greyhound Belkin appeared in the arena, offering Sylvester his feasible help, which Timofeev accepted. Together with the Odintsovo, the Orekhov group wins the confrontation with the Galyanovskys, completely displacing them from their positions.
The recognition of Timofeev authority
The Orekhov group was especially unprincipled. For them there was neither thieves' law, nor other norms of behavior of the criminal world, they committed robberies, robberies, murders and their main occupation - racket - at any time of the day or night.
After strengthening their positions, the Orekhovsky brigades completely lost control of reality. In 1993, they committed a completely daring crime, both in terms of law and the rules of the criminal world. They killed the thief in law Victor Kogan, nicknamed Monya, who did not recognize their supremacy in the thieves' world. Monya was the director of the Argus company, which was engaged in gambling.
Having burst into Kogan, the bandits not only shot the lawyer, but did it with particular cruelty, shooting him at point-blank range already lying on the ground, and then defeated the entire gambling hall with bits, and began to rob ordinary passersby passing by. The law enforcement agencies managed to detain the perpetrators, but they managed to convict them only for hooliganism, since the police did not have direct evidence of the murder of Moni.
Orekhovsky’s lawlessness worried not only the police, but also the underworld, so Sylvester had to restore order in his ranks. By the end of 1993, he managed to achieve recognition of his authority among all the brigades, after which the Southern District of Moscow ceased to be the most criminogenic region of the city. But Moscow calmed down for a short while.
The rise and fall of Sylvester
Timofeev did not rest on his laurels, it was not enough for him to lead the largest criminal group in the Southern District of Moscow, he wanted to be the main authority of the whole city. To this end, Sylvester went to the United States, where, according to narrow criminal circles, the successor of the famous Yaponchik Vyacheslav Ivankov (whom Timofeev went to visit) gave him the go-ahead to control the entire city.
Perhaps this trip was the fatal mistake of Sylvester. At that time, the Orekhov group, although it was the largest, had no unprecedented influence throughout the city. Defending their interests, representatives of competing groups began to fear for their zones of influence.
Returning from America, Sylvester was blown up in his Mercedes car. Who ordered the murder of Sylvester is still unknown. After all, by and large, anyone could do it - Timofeev had more than enough enemies. And among their own there were foremen who did not like the leader.
Developing Belkin’s cold and unprecedented tactics
Dmitry Belkin (Orekhovskaya organized crime group has always been under his close attention) followed the career of his authority Sylvester. One can even assume that he admired him. And on the mistakes of Timofeev Belkin studied, which helped him to reach all his further heights in the criminal world. Looking at the affairs of Sylvester, Dmitry Belkin (Orekhovskaya bandits had not yet submitted to him) understood that no one should be trusted, and the only way to stay afloat was to physically eliminate all his competitors and ill-wishers.
After the death of Sylvester, Belkin quickly, along with other Odintsovo, taking advantage of the disorder and reeling among the Orekhovskys who started the war with each other for the crown of the group, began to eliminate all competitors of the former unified Orekhovskaya organized crime group. Seeing the results achieved by Dmitry Belkin, Orekhovskys, whose brigades suffered from lawlessness, began to join the Odintsovo. Soon, Belkin managed to restore the Orekhovskaya gang already under his clear leadership.
Reliable method
On his own, Belkin, the Orekhovskaya organized crime group in which began to control 75% of the city’s business, managed to become Moscow’s most influential gangster. But Squirrel managed all this thanks to his tactics of complete unscrupulousness and cunning. Belkin’s close killer, Lesha Soldier, carried out several high-profile killings of recalcitrant businessmen, while maintaining complete secrecy, using his past special forces skills. The soldier pretended to be an asocial element, a homeless person or an alcoholic, wandering around the victim's habitat. Taking advantage of the moment, while no one saw, the killer killed an unsuspecting victim.
Strengthening the influence of the Orekhovskaya gang
By such actions Dmitry Belkin (Orekhovskaya organized criminal group was already under his full control) made others fear and respect themselves. According to Orekhovskiy’s killer himself, Lyosha Soldat, he didn’t always have to kill a person in order to take away his business, he just came to his house with a bottle of wine and a cake (or other sweetness). The business owner perfectly understood the purpose of the Soldier’s visit, but at the same time he saw that the killer gave him a chance to avoid reprisal. As a rule, as a result of such a visit, an entrepreneur voluntarily gave up his business, while preserving the life of himself and his family. By taking business from influential Moscow entrepreneurs, Belok made huge profits and gained leverage not only in the city, but throughout the country and beyond, which allowed him to remain unconvicted for so long and manage his criminal gang. Orekhovskaya organized crime group still carries weight in criminal Russia.
Belkin dealt openly with the rebels and those who disagreed in his ranks openly with all his associates, with the hands closest to the victim. For these purposes, Belkin organized a gathering of his gang somewhere in a place far from prying eyes under the pretext of a cultural holiday. But the members of the Orekhovskaya organized crime group perfectly understood why they were being assembled. Then Squirrel announced the name of the objectionable and ordered the most sympathetic gang members to kill him. This style of reprisal was inherent in the Italian mafia of the 30s. Apparently, Protein was well aware of their strategy. Thus, the leader had the opportunity to see for himself that the close circle of the traitor remained faithful to him.
Belkin under investigation suspicion
In 1998, law enforcement agencies managed to find a clue to prosecute Dmitry Belkin. Investigator Yuri Kerezu managed to interrogate one of the captured killers of the Belk gang, who surrendered his leader. When Kerez called Belkin for interrogation, a self-confident bandit appeared at the investigator with a bag in which one million US dollars was lying. With this money, Belok, whose Orekhovskaya organized crime group intended to continue his criminal activities, wanted to buy his freedom, and also to get a vile traitor.
But Kerez was incorruptible. Then Belkin hired killers to eliminate him. Despite the detective’s experience, the investigator couldn’t make out the killer who pretended to be another drunk homeless, and he was shot dead at his home. Belk himself managed to escape and leave Russia. Belka and his chief assistant, Al-Capone, were tracked down for 12 years, during which Belkin (the Orekhovskaya gang continued to function successfully) lived happily abroad under false names. And what’s most interesting, he successfully managed his criminal structure in Russia thanks to his connected ones.
Belkin's detention
One of these liaisons brought the task force to the track of Belk, whom they wanted to arrest in Paris, where he had come to discuss cases. But the detention did not take place, since, sensing something was amiss, Protein escaped.
Yet in 2012, Dmitry Belkin was detained in his country estate. The squirrel, whose photo shows his absolute confidence in his impunity, was deeply surprised by his arrest, but remained calm, because he was sure that he would pay off. After lengthy negotiations with the Spanish Kingdom, Dmitry Belkin, whose Orekhovites were already detained, was extradited to Russia.
Court and sentence
Upon arrival in Russia, Belkin was detained and began to prepare for a high-profile court hearing. Everyone perfectly understood that the trial of Dmitry Belkin would not be simple, because the Belka may have connections in Moscow, and throughout Russia at any level. Therefore, it was important to secure the support of genuine impartial jurors.
To the surprise of the investigation, the jury, which was offered to take part in this case, one by one began to refuse to participate in the case, resigning from their powers. Investigators did not take into account that it was much easier for Squirrel to intimidate simple and disinterested jurors than to try to bribe them. On the sixth attempt alone, 12 jurors were gathered .
The trial of Dmitry Belkin convicted the bandit and his associate Pronin of a series of crimes, including 22 intentional murders, attempted murder of a police officer, extortion and other criminal acts. The jury was unanimous - life imprisonment.
To be continued?..
But the conclusion of Belk and Al-Capone did not stop the activities of the Orekhovskaya gang. Three days later, the victim’s lawyer was killed. Apparently, Squirrel manages to manage his gang from prison. Of course, the Orekhovskaya organized crime group is no longer such a powerful criminal structure as before, but its influence remains significant in Moscow and its environs.