On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, Russian residents took part in a survey, according to which it was possible to find out which city is the safest city in the country. The three leaders are Saransk. There are no serious crime issues today. But it was not always so. Even 20 years ago, gangs were operating in the city that did not disdain murders, racketeering and atrocious crimes. Today we offer to talk about organized criminal groups in Saransk. Their history, biographies of their leaders are waiting for you below.
Svetotehstroy
The criminal community, which in the criminal environment was called “Svetotehstroy”, was one of the most influential and dangerous among all that operated on the territory of the Republic of Mordovia, both in scale and in nature of the harm caused. It was with the organized crime group Svetotehstroy in Saransk that the era of banditry began. The creator of the criminal community was Sergey Deniskin, better known as Sedoy.
Criminal career
Sergey Deniskin was born in Saransk in 1959. Immediately after graduating from high school, he met and made friends with people who were very influential in the criminal world, enjoyed unquestioned authority. In the late eighties, Sedoy entered one of the lighting and construction offices, was engaged in commerce. For some time he worked as a salesman in a store, then in a beer bar, tried himself as a forwarder. Friends noted: Sergei always had an economic streak that allowed him to earn money - both for himself and for his associates.
Of course, the talents of men could not remain without attention. After some leaders of the group passed away, a young and surprisingly ambitious Sedoy became the leader of one of the brigades. It should be noted that in the early nineties in the Mordovian capital there were a huge number of small criminal communities and groups that could not divide the territory among themselves. As a result, four large groups were formed, divided according to the territorial principle - one of them was Svetotehstroy. Deniskin has always advocated the unification of the lighting crews into one formation.
This Saransk organized crime group had a unique feature: the criminal formation, like a Russian nesting doll, was divided into three independent groups: Verkhushka, Kopeyevtsy, and Kulaevtsy. Each had its own leader.
“Verkhushka”, of course, not without the participation of Sedoi, began to spread its influence over all commercial organizations not only in the city, but also outside it. The criminal community managed to establish inter-regional ties, which allowed the mass purchase of weapons. The first to go to jail was Mikhail Kopeikin, and his closest accomplices were eliminated. In March 2000, Rafael Syubaev was shot, 2 years later, in January 2002, Igor Ushakov was killed at the entrance of his own house, and in July 2003 Evgeny Lisin became a killer victim.
The reprisals affected the Kulaevites as well. Some leaders of the group managed to escape outside Mordovia, and ordinary soldiers easily joined the new community, led by Sedym. Sergei Deniskin managed to build a strict hierarchical system, which was based on unquestioning submission.
Sedoy himself spoke of Svetotehstroy as an economic empire, proudly calling himself emperor. He controlled his holding with wisdom and calculation, periodically pushing allies among themselves. Sedogo always had the economy in the first place; money was at the forefront. They were also a tool to strengthen criminal influence. For the sake of an impressive amount, Sedoy did not stop at anything.
The collapse of the empire
A quick glance at the fate of Svetotehstroy is enough to trace the tendency for the closest associates of Deniskin to disappear: they all disappeared under very mysterious circumstances. For example, Sedogo’s closest associate disappeared from his own apartment with a book in his hand and underwear. The death of the first wife of the leader of this organized crime group of Saransk is also covered in mystery: she fell from the balcony of the top floor. In general, as soon as someone who was next to Sedym began to rise in a grouping by criminal or economic part, he very strange way disappeared from sight. It seems that the emperor could not stand the competition in his path. But despite all the cruelty and authority, the leader was not able to keep the structure afloat.
The powerful empire cracked in 2005. Then in the struggle for power Vladimir Filippov was killed - aka Felix. They shot him with a sniper rifle in December 2005. Six months later, Viktor Kachaev (Vitan) and his guard fell from the killer’s bullets. In the light of these events, Deniskin himself and four of his accomplices — Vechkensin, Hafizov, Kurmaev and Yumaev — went on the run. At the same time, they were put on the international and federal wanted list. Organized crime fighters manage to detain more than 10 active members of a criminal group
Some enterprises that were under the control of Svetotehstroy, as well as some of the people, joined the groupings Center and Southwest. Sergei Deniskin himself was wanted from 2005 to 2009. At the same time, he did not go abroad: Sedoy spent all four years in the city of Odintsovo near Moscow, surrounded by stars of Russian pop music. His escape was associated not only with fear of arrest, but also with fear of reprisal from other members of Saransk’s organized crime group. Serious connections and a considerable amount of finances helped Deniskin escape and hide: all this time he could receive consultations on how to hide from law enforcement authorities, what conspiracy measures should be applied while on the international wanted list.
Detectives from Mordovia and Moscow detained Deniskin on June 18, 2009, when a man left the supermarket. A little later, they managed to arrest other hiding members of Svetotehstroy. At a trial in 2011, Sergei Deniskin said he was innocent:
What a gang organizer I am, look at me - I am 52 years old!
But Themis was adamant - Sedoy was sentenced to 18 years in a maximum security colony.
"Southwest"
The history of this criminal group began in 1989. In the late eighties in Saransk, on the territory of the South-West region, there were two criminal groups. One of them was organized by the Goremykin brothers, the second - by Yuri Schukin. In Saransk, “Mykintsy” and “pike” were known for particular cruelty and insolence.
“Mykintsy” was mainly engaged in apartment thefts, arson, extortion and robbery. It was not possible to cope with competitors with the help of fists and beats, and therefore they began to rush into arms. It got to the point that, in an attempt to expand their sphere of influence, the Mykintsy began to shoot the participants of the Svetotehstroy group, depriving them of beer stalls.
"Shchukari", the leader of which was the judoka Schukin, were originally used as power torpedoes. After merging with the southwestern organized crime group, the Pikemen engaged in street fist massacres. Later they joined in the protection of the dump truck, the supply of dump trucks from Nizhny Novgorod to the territory of the Republic of Mordovia.
Both groups were approximately the same in degree of aggression. And therefore it is not surprising that they decided to unite and create a single organized crime group. After a short time, Schukin, who was one of the leaders of the gang, disappeared under extremely mysterious circumstances.
Disappeared leader
The loss of the leader caused a mass of rumors. Yuri entered the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, according to many, simply did not leave it. Someone claimed that Shchukin was killed during interrogation, and his body was then secretly taken out. Others said that Schukin hid himself. In fact, operatives say, Yuri was really called to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to check if he was involved in extorting a local businessman’s car. After giving testimony - at about 12:45 - Schukin was released home, obliging him to come the next day for a confrontation with a businessman. They signed him a pass, he went out, and no one else saw him. The circumstances of the disappearance of the leader of this organized crime group Saransk remained unclear. True, later there was information that Schukin bought weapons, distributed funds in favor of Svetotehstroy. Specific people became known who threatened Yuri with reprisal. It is possible that it was to them that it was beneficial to eliminate Shchukar by transferring responsibility to the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Of course, all of Schukin’s assistants went under the wing of Sergei and Vyacheslav Goremykin.
Under the direction of the Goremykin
A special group instantly appeared in the new gang, which consisted of killers ready to eliminate the disobedient: opponents from other organized crime groups or those who wanted to leave this. The group operated not only in the city: separate groups worked in different regions of the Republic of Mordovia. The main activity was racketeering and extortion. Gang members intimidated businessmen, set fire to the property of people who dared to refuse them, and killed them. One day after meeting with brutal bandits, one of the entrepreneurs died as a result of a heart attack. His wife, who was afraid of reprisal, for 12 years paid the leaders of the Saransk organized criminal group. Practiced in the group and robberies. So, three criminals attacked a local resident and began to beat him, forcing them to give them all the money and valuables. Boxer Eugene, who at that moment passed by, stood up for the victim. He beat all three attackers. Unfortunately, the end of this story is tragic: after some time, members of the criminal formation kidnapped Eugene, took him to the forest, where he was tortured for a long time, and then killed.
Note that in the mid-nineties the Goremykin brothers from Saransk were convicted. They received punishment for organizing the murder. A “ticket” to places not so distant to the brothers was given for the murder of a “foreman”, who was suspected of snitching. Sergei Goremykin was killed in 1998, and Vyacheslav survived his brother only two years. One of the operatives kept a notebook in which all the amounts that the guys who decided to engage in criminal craft were deposited in the cashier of the formation were recorded. The amounts were truly ridiculous - from three to ten rubles!
However, the arrest of Vyacheslav and Sergei Goremykin did not prevent the continued criminal activity of the gang formation. Moreover, the group was gaining new members and becoming stronger. The new leaders of the gang were two thieves in law - Alexei Blokhin and Sergey Konnov. A little later, Vyacheslav Pechnikov joined them. He was accepted into the group due to the fact that he was widely known for his aggressiveness, cruelty, fanatical devotion. Law enforcement officers of Saransk Vyacheslav Pechnikov was detained more than once, but they could not prove the man’s involvement in the crimes committed. Such criminal talents became the reason that Pechnikov quickly took a leading position in the organized crime group.
Internal and external conflicts
For a while, the group was all right, but at the beginning of the 2000s, a conflict had ripened within the criminal group. Between criminal authorities a real war has begun. It was then that this organized crime group was divided into two warring factions. One was led by Pechnikov and Konnov, the second was led by Alexei Blokhin. As a result of internal confrontations, at least two dozen people were killed and wounded. There were external conflicts. So, in 2002, an open struggle began with the Khimmash scheme. During a fierce confrontation, ordinary privates were first killed, and later the leader of Khimmash, Vitaly Shindyapin. A little later, the remains of another Khimmash director, Andrei Borisov, were found in the forest. In the winter of 2003, the leader of the “southwestern” Blokhin was also killed. All his entourage went to the organized crime group “Southwest” by Sergey Konnov.
Two years later, in the spring of 2005, Sergei was also missing. Then he was put on the federal wanted list. And in the fall, this Saransk organized crime group committed one of its most high-profile crimes. In an attempt to establish control over the Romodanovosahar plant, the criminals brutally dealt with its director, Fedor Kataev. Pechnikov was put on the wanted list.
Punishment for crimes
The first arrests began in 2006. Then they detained Pechnikov, Anikin, who was the “foreman” of the killers. Three years later, Pechnikov's successor, Sergey Fristov, was also detained.
Pechnikov was sentenced to 11 years in prison, Anikin - to three and a half. In 2010, law enforcement officers managed to detain other members of the group: Kamarin, Davydova, Geraskina. Bandits received from 5 to 15 years in prison. Six more criminals were found guilty in 2013. Strict Themis punished them with impressive sentences of up to 15 years in prison.
Mordva (Center)
The Mordovian organized crime group has accounted for the entire “gentleman's set” of crimes and crimes: raider seizures, extortion, illegal arms trafficking, and even murder. One of the most high-profile crimes is the shooting of Interior Minister Colonel Viktor Lavrov. It happened at the end of August 1999. For many years, this group was considered almost invulnerable: gang members had good lawyers and their own people in the city’s law enforcement structures.
In general, the history of the Mordva organized crime group begins in 1988. After solving a number of internal contradictions, in 97, this criminal community was headed by Vladimir Kazanin. The Mordovians had a close-knit structure, a clear structure: four units, three independent groups of armed fighters. The group included leaders, brigade leaders, senior and young. Throughout its existence, strict discipline was maintained in the group, and clear rules of conduct were established. The bandits were armed with machine guns, carbines with optical sights, grenades, pistols and sawn-off shotguns. It was with the help of weapons that members of the Mordva organized criminal group resolved issues with competitors. Due to the large number of enterprises crushed by themselves, Mordva has achieved unprecedented economic power.
Economic crime
In the second half of the nineties of the last century, Vyacheslav Makovchuk became one of the participants in the organized crime group. It was he who created the unit in this group, which was engaged in the commission of economic crimes. Under the leadership of Vyacheslav, entrepreneurs and heads of various enterprises, criminals forced them to make transactions that were unfavorable for them. Makovchuk distributed his income on his own: he transferred part of it to the common fund, bought weapons. He did everything possible to ensure that the group achieved criminal leadership in the city and republic. The employees of the Organized Crime Control Department and the UFSB managed to cope with criminals only in 2007-2008.
Market of discord
Before the Association of Law Enforcement Officials appeared in Mordovia, the central market of Saransk was under the control of Mordva. The group rented not only the market itself, but also the territory adjacent to it. Of course, all merchants were forced to pay a fee to members of the criminal gang. This tidbit financial piece brought a lot of money. At the expense of the market, the group could arm itself, bribe people in various structures, and hire professional lawyers. When the contract with a trusted food company expired, the administration entered into a new contract. According to him, the market was rented by the Association of Law enforcement officers Victor Lavrov. This was done in order to oust criminals from the market. The bandits did not like this turn of events, because he deprived them of fabulous sums.
However, the new agreement was concluded only on retail premises on the territory of the market itself, and criminals continued to control the site. Victor Lavrov, a former retired Interior Ministry colonel, decided to cleanse the entire territory of bandits. He was supported by the city authorities. It was expected that during the trial a decision will be made according to which the Mordovian enterprise will lose the right to lease territory from the market. The meeting was to be held on August 26, 1999. Colonel Viktor Lavrov planned to speak in court, but he could not get to Saransk. Of course, this day the issue was not decided in favor of the association.
The murder of Lavrov
According to the investigation, the initiator of the murder was Andrei Sultanov, better known as the Sultan. In the early morning, the killers arrived in a small village, past which Lavrov was supposed to pass. Partially blocked the road, put up a makeshift road sign. Oleg Konakov, the perpetrator of the murder, sat a few meters from the road. He was wearing a construction robe, in his hands he held a shovel and a bag. After Konakov received a signal, he ran to the opposite side of the road. UAZ with Lavrov began to go around the obstacles along the side of the road, the killer, without even pulling the weapon out of his bag, opened fire. All this happened in front of the people who were at the bus stop at that time. Victor Lavrov died at the crime scene, the driver, who also received numerous gunshot wounds, managed to get out of the fire and get to the poultry farm located nearby. It was from there that the police and the ambulance were called. Quite quickly all the perpetrators of the crime were detained, of which 13 were people. Throughout the year, an investigation was underway, another 12 months the case was considered by the Supreme Court of the republic. Oleg Kondakov was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Sultan was given 25 years in prison. The remaining participants received from 8 to 19 years in prison.
Kazanin and Kotsyubynsky
Vyacheslav Dugushkin and Vladimir Kazanin managed to escape punishment. The method of salvation was very prosaic - the men simply fled. Kazan was sought not only by the police, but also by Interpol. Despite this, the man managed to hide quite successfully for a long time. It was rumored that they had seen him in the Czech Republic, Turkey, and France. In fact, the man was hiding in Moscow and other Russian cities. He led a new life with new documents. All the special operations of the operatives aimed at catching Vladimir Kazanin ended in failure: someone warned the fugitive about all the plans of the police. Of course, the security forces had long suspected that he had his own people among the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Mordovia. They managed to find out that Kazanin was in contact with Sergey Kotsyubinsky, who at that time was the deputy chief of the criminal police. In the service, Kotsyubinsky established himself as an excellent operative, it was with his direct participation that the police managed to solve a huge number of high-profile crimes. Moreover, he participated in the revelation of the murder of Viktor Lavrov. But in 2007 the unsightly truth about Kotsyubinsky was revealed, he was taken out of the staff of the Ministry of the Interior. It was possible to find out that it was this police officer who helped Kazanin to hide from the investigation, informed him all the secret information, for which he received a reward. Investigators say: over several years of work at Mordva, Kotsyubinsky was able to replenish his piggy bank by almost 3 million rubles. In February 2008, Kotsyubinsky was detained after one of Kazanin’s associates handed him 250 thousand. Then Vladimir Kazanin was caught.
The criminal case against Kotsyubinsky, Kazanin and Makovchuk consisted of 184 volumes. 58 of them were indictment. Over the entire course of the trial, about 200 witnesses were interviewed, some of whom were classified as secret and testified from other premises with a changed voice. In early November 2014, the jury delivered their verdict: most of the defendants were found guilty.
It would seem that on this criminal showdown in Saransk should stop. But in reality, there was still another organized criminal group - Khimmash.
Khimmash
In the dashing nineties in the territory of the Saransk microdistrict called Zarechny, several criminal gangs operated at once - the Shindyapins, Yenikeyevs, Khimmash, and a gang formation led by thief in law Viktor Dudenkov, known in criminal circles under the nickname Cherny. The situation changed dramatically when Andrei Borisov, a former member of the South-West, was released from prison.
He was a talented organizer and, as it turned out later, a born businessman. Andrei Borisov, taking advantage of the fact that both the Goremykin brothers and other active members of his group were either killed or convicted, gathered around him the remnants of the South-West criminal group and created his own new group, which was called the Borisovites. The criminal collective was very close-knit, strict discipline reigned here. Every year, bandits passed the standards for pulling up, running, playing sports was mandatory for each member of the group. Under the direction of Borisov, his team began to control small entrepreneurs, mainly merchants. But the economic appetites of the criminals grew, the Borisovs crushed large trading floors throughout Saransk. Of course, it could not do without armed clashes with competitors.
By the end of the nineties of the last century, Andrei Borisov managed to take a prominent place in the criminal ranks of authoritative residents of Saransk. In 2000, the leader of Saransk’s organized crime group managed to take control of about 80% of the district’s enterprises. Then he became the undisputed leader of Himmash. Moreover, the "Borisov" began to appear peculiar branches in different areas
But Borisov himself was not only interested in money: his main goal was politics. His proteges ran for deputies of various levels - from city councils to the State Assembly. With their help, the organizer of the organized crime group quite successfully lobbied the interests of the business under his control. By 2003, Andrei Borisov had created a real criminal empire, the income of organized crime groups amounted to tens of millions of dollars. Khimmash controlled not only Saransk, the organized criminal group had connections with Moscow, Ulyanovsk, Kazan, Ufa and Vladimir. And at the peak of this success, Andrei Borisov completely unexpectedly disappeared. Investigators say: his body was discovered only 6 years later, in 2009, in one of the regions of Mordovia. The cause of death, according to experts, was gunshot wounds. The murder charge was brought against several members of the Himmash organized crime group.
Most likely, a special role was played by Yuri Shorchev, Borisov's right hand. He led a brigade of killers. In the fall of 2003, Yuri told his accomplice that the leader entered into some sect and now the total money goes there. Deceitfully, the accomplices lured Borisov to another city and shot him there. The other participants in the organized crime group reported that their leader had gone abroad. It was Yuri Shorchev who became the new leader of Khimmash, under his leadership Khimmash was able to bend almost all businessmen of the city under him. The bandits skillfully manipulated and influenced businessmen.
City liberation
One of the members of the formation helped the operatives to get on the trail of a perfectly conspired organized crime group. In a conversation with his friend, he said that he helped get rid of the body of Andrei Borisov. This information reached law enforcement officers. The investigators were able to not only establish the exact place and circumstances of the crime, but also revealed other episodes. As a result, there were 9 people behind bars. The bandits thought that they had already agreed on everything for a long time, they would be able to avoid punishment for the affairs of the past days. But the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia sentenced Shorchev himself to 24.5 years in prison, and his accomplices received from 5.5 to 21 years. This was the last organized crime group that operated on the territory of Saransk.