FBIS4-68846
"jpusr056___94027"
FBIS Report: Central Eurasia
16 April 1994
RUSSIA
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Gangland Murders Investigated
Gangland Murders Investigated
944F0690C Moscow PODMOSKOVYE in Russian No 15, 16 Apr 94 p 7
944F0690C
Moscow PODMOSKOVYE
Russian
CSO
[Article by Nikolay Modestov: "Who Is Next? Today Even
Recognized Criminal World Authorities Are Not Immune From
Criminal Lawlessness"]
[Text]
The "Queen of England" of the Caucasus Mafia
The first victim arrived in the admissions room of the
Balashikha TsRB [central rayon hospital] at 0940. Surgeons
diagnosed the condition without hesitation: bullet wound to the
right thigh. The wounded man--30-year-old Chechen
Osmayev--reported that he had been shot on Razina Street near
the office of the Rosinter company. At 1010 local resident
Marina B. was brought to the same hospital with a bullet wound
to a buttock.
A group of operatives that went to the site of the incident
barely got there in time. In the Volga sedan speeding out of the
city they detained a Rosinter company administrator and two
local residents without any particular employment. Under the car
seat the detectives from the ninth department of the oblast GUVD
[City Administration of Internal Affairs] Regional Organized
Crime Administration [RUOP] discovered a TT handgun and a couple
of loaded magazines (with three and seven cartridges). It soon
became clear why the magazines were not full. In the trunk of
the car was the body of mortally wounded 30-year-old Deryabin, a
resident of Zheleznodorozhnyy, also not employed. He died an
hour later without regaining consciousness in the intensive care
unit of the Balashikha TsRB from a bullet would to the eye.
The operatives encountered the main "surprise" later,
however. In the course of a ground search near the woods behind
Novaya village they discovered another corpse. The body of a
young man dressed in a well-made denim suit had been dumped in a
roadside ditch and covered with snow. The experienced detectives
realized that they were not dealing with an ordinary
"score-settling." They recognized the man, killed by a shot
through the back of his head, as 38-year-old Daudov--a
well-known "crime boss" nicknamed Sultan...
In the complex and constantly changing table of ranks of the
criminal world, Sultan had long held a special place. Suffice it
to say that he had been the only "crime boss" among the
Chechens. As is known, this ethnic group does not recognize the
traditions of "bosses" commonly followed in the criminal world.
Chechens remain faithful to their tribal ties and treat clan
elders with respect. Even the so-called "kitty"--a "thieves'"
treasury which exists mainly to support authorities and
"bosses," delivering parcels of "gravy" to investigative
detention facilities and labor camps, is made up of foreign
currency--not "wooden" rubles--"contributions" among Chechens.
Because of these circumstances, Sultan was considered a stranger
among their own both among Chechens and among Russians.
Sultan had four convictions. The first--a three-year prison
term--he got in his native Groznyy back in 1972. All in all he
had accumulated 14 years behind barbed wire... He did time in
the zone in Saratov, Bryansk, Tula, Voronezh, Rostov, and Moscow
Oblasts. As operatives who had known him tell it, Sultan was not
a simpleton. An offspring of a prominent Chechen family
(according to some data his father had worked as a party
functionary in Chechnya), he had his own view of many things,
and intellectually was far above most criminals around him.
Sultan liked to philosophize, gladly proffered advice (and not
bad at that, from what we heard), and was moderate in his use of
alcohol. He did have a weakness--grass; he could not stay off
it. However, even in prison Sultan kept up appearances--was
cleanly shaven, neat, and calm.
He left his family, was "crowned" in prison by Georgian
"bosses," and since then became something like the "Queen of
England" among Chechens. They recognized his authority, but did
not consider him "kin." Perhaps these circumstances eventually
led to Sultan's demise.
Are "Thieves" Brothers?
That morning Sultan, accompanied by his bodyguard Deryabin,
was leaving for Crimea for a meeting with a local authority
nicknamed Shoe. When their Jeep was on its way to the airport,
Sultan suddenly suggested that they stop briefly at Rosinter on
business.
Deryabin was the first to walk into the office. Sultan
lingered for a moment--he was showing something to driver
Osmayev on the car's dashboard. Subsequent events are still to
be reconstructed in detail. (For quite understandable reasons,
witnesses to the murder prefer to keep their mouths shut.) It is
obvious, however, that Sultan and his "cover" were dealt with
professionally, calmly, and cruelly. The operatives also believe
that the victim had a large amount of money from the "kitty" on
him. The money has not yet been found. Oblast RUOP detectives
also know the names of the murderers. What is not entirely clear
is the motive for the murder--who is behind the shooting in the
Rosinter office?
One of the versions is revenge for Balashikha authority
Frol,
killed on the last day of last year (PODMOSKOVYE No. 9 devoted
an article "Epitaph for a `Godfather'" to this event). Frol had
a long-running feud with the "Chechen community"--he was one of
the leaders of the "Slavic wing" of the domestic mafia. He was
threatened many times, and the confrontation, which by some
estimates had been going on since 1988, in 1993 spilled out into
a series of score-settling altercations between Frol's shock
troopers and the Caucasians. On 18 August, for instance, Frol's
villa was fired at by a grenade launcher. The victim decided not
to report the incident to the militia. "Maybe gasoline canisters
exploded in the garage," he told detectives. Frol's response was
much more "tangible." Soon a series of explosions rolled through
Chechen-"protected" sales outlets in Balashikha Rayon.
Sultan lived in Balashikha and of course knew Frol well.
Frol
even contributed money to the "kitty." So far there are no
grounds, however, to contend that he was the person who gave the
"green light" to Frol's killing. Neither can one say with
certainty that Frol's group had something to do with Sultan's
death. There are other versions as well.
Frol was not the only one to take a stand against the
Chechens' preponderance in the capital city metropolitan area.
According to operatives, "bosses" do not like the Chechens,
considering them people who do not live by the law of the
criminals. The Chechens constantly clash with "bosses" and
invade the territory of others, which results in armed clashes
and score-settling. This also explains the attitude of the
"bosses'" lobby to the Chechen authorities. "Crime bosses" do
not want Chechens to have a voice at "conferences." In this
respect, Sultan's behavior was indicative in that he had tried
twice to promote Mairbek, a Chechen, to "thief" status. The
attempts failed twice... The late Globe [Globus] was also
unhappy with Sultan. The famous "boss" said more than once that
Sultan was "flaky," that is, gave the "boss" title to young
criminals who had not earned this "high honor." Interestingly, a
young leader nicknamed Pushkin (he controlled Podolsk and
Serpukhov), who had been "crowned" by Sultan last year, was
"quietly" shot dead by an unknown assailant. For a real
authoritative "boss" this is impermissible. The death of any of
them is an extraordinary event, which is discussed at a
"conference," with appropriate "organizational conclusions."
Sultan's relations with the late "boss" Barberry [Kalina]
were no less strained. Barberry's derogatory remarks about the
Chechens (behind his back he called Sultan an ape and a Czech)
compelled Sultan to threaten to kill him. So Barberry, having
figured out that he was playing with fire, went to Serpukhov,
where Sultan was sitting in the SIZO [preliminary investigative
detention facility], and apologized to the "comrade" for
"accidentally dropped words." In the Serpukhov SIZO, on the
other hand, the attitude toward the Chechen was that of utmost
respect. Two local "bosses" treated Sultan with attention
appropriate to his rank. This is understandable--no "boss" will
insult another one in his face. As is known, "bosses" are
brothers.
Going to Crimea--Taken to Chechnya
After Sultan's murder, an assassination attempt was made
against his good friend, a Lyubertsy authority nicknamed Avil.
The latter was nearly shot to death in Solntsevo by an unknown
criminal. The killer fired several shots from a Makarov handgun
when Avil left his apartment to walk his dog. He did not die,
but ended up in a very serious condition in a hospital.
The operatives remember an incident that happened back in
1989 at the Old Castle restaurant. It all started with some
Caucasians occupying a table next to the one where Sultan and
Avil were sitting began to get rowdy. Sultan walked over to
them, introduced himself, and asked them to tone it down. The
mountain people, high from all the wine they had drunk, told the
"boss" to get lost. Naturally, a fight ensued in which the
"boss" ended up with broken ribs and a cracked skull. The next
day Avil came to the Old Castle, shot the bartender dead with a
sawn-off shotgun, and mortally wounded one of Sultan's offenders
with a sharpened screwdriver...
Does this story offer an explanation of the demise of the
Chechen "boss"? I think this version does not hold water even by
a long stretch of imagination. Neither does another one
frequently discussed by journalists. They talk about the
so-called supersecret "White Arrow" team allegedly created on
the personal orders of the Russian MVD [Ministry of Internal
Affairs] leadership for secret suppression of criminal
"authorities." Those who have gained a knowledge of the criminal
world mores from operational work experience rather than from
newspaper articles do not take this tale seriously. It is
obvious that the "White Arrow" myth is being spread precisely by
those bandits who want to write off the blood and murder of
their own confederates to the militia. The causal connection
here is much more simple and material. Behind the death of every
"boss" is enormous money, influence, and a complex disposition
of forces in the criminal world and the criminal economy. So why
did Sultan, who was heading for the warm sea of Crimea, end up
traveling in a casket to his native Chechnya?
Operatives think it possible that the cause of Sultan's
demise may lie in his sharing a neighborhood with Zakhar, also a
"boss" who lives in Balashikha. The latter is known as an
authority who sticks to strict labor camp traditions. He never
concealed his Slavic orientation and claim to leadership in his
territory. According to detectives, Zakhar cannot stand the
Chechens. He knows the "law" very well, but he knows equally
well the golden rule: As a rule, the fight is won by whoever
strikes first and strikes hard. And, as they say, the winners
are not judged...
Was a "shoot" set up for Sultan in the office? And if it
was,
by whom and why? In keeping with tradition, only an equal--that
is, another "boss"--can make an appointment for a "boss."
Actually, the hidden springs of this incident are still not
known. But the operatives, while not dismissing the possibility
of Zakhar's involvement in the bloody "score-settling," know
perfectly well that he himself did not kill Sultan. It is just
that any lead deserves attention and discussion.
...Over the last half-year alone dozens of criminal world
authorities have been killed in the Moscow region; well-known
crime bosses have fallen victim to shootouts and contract
murders. It is an unprecedented situation; not a single one
among experienced detectives can recall anything like this.
These days a bullet fired by a small-time criminal, who has
barely staked his place among his kind, may take the life of a
criminal world "patriarch," a single word from whom in the past
could change the situation in entire oblasts of Russia.
The "thieves" Globe, Pipiya, Pushkin, and Arsen have been
killed. Givi Scarface disappeared without a trace. Georgian
"boss" Roin also faded into the night while driving home from a
casino. Sultan has been shot dead... And an uncountable number
of less prominent personalities. Bobon was torn apart by a
submachine gun burst; Little Falcon [Sokolenok] shot dead in
front of his apartment; Mikota died of a gunshot would to the
head in a cafe in Kolomenskoye; in Lyubertsy, Hare [Zayats] died
at the door of his own home; Kruglov, nicknamed Beard [Boroda],
was found in Yauza river with a garrote around his neck. There
is a virtual hunt for the "boss" nicknamed Signature [Rospis],
who is considered the most active fighter against the Caucasian
preponderance in the capital city region.
Signature has been hit by a sniper bullet twice. The first
time he was saved by a bullet-proof vest; the second--by his
bodyguard Sharapov, who was killed on the spot. Signature did
not escape unharmed, though. The same bullet that killed
Sharapov hit the "boss" in the liver and tore through his
kidney. It was a miracle that he lived; he flew to the United
States, had surgery there, returned, and came under fire again.
When he left his home accompanied by his bodyguard Shaykhullin
and headed for his Volga car, unknown perpetrators blew up a car
parked nearby. The charge was so powerful that all the windows
in the building--from the first to the 10th floor--were
shattered. This is not the worst, however. Innocent bystanders
were hurt--two girls playing in the courtyard, and two
passers-by. The bodyguard was also killed on the spot. Signature
survived and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Doctors list his condition as satisfactory. Quite possibly,
Signature will soon get back into business again. A reasonable
question, through: For how long? And another one: What will the
killers come up with this time to find a more reliable way to
eliminate the adversary? Perhaps blow up an overpass as
Signature's car travels on it? Or will they blow up an entire
rayon when the authority holds an appointed meeting? Operatives
believe, however, that Signature may feel it is prudent to leave
again for the United States...
Lawlessness [bespredel]. This slang word, which means
mocking
even the norms of "morality" commonly accepted in the criminal
world, is increasingly often defining our current life. First we
registered a rise in crime, then we had to admit that it had
practically got out of control. And finally we agreed that crime
itself has undergone a qualitative change. Now lawlessness has
become the norm rather than the exception, and fighting
gangsters who have long lost the notion of propriety is not just
difficult--it is nearly impossible.
"Our laws, the criminal and criminal process codes,
normative
acts, and other juridical mechanisms were created with a
civilized society in mind," is the opinion of Aleksandr
Kartashev, chief of the Moscow Oblast GUVD Regional Organized
Crime Department. "They do not meet the requirements of the
current situation, cannot protect to a full extent society and
its citizens. People get shot, blown up, and stabbed to death in
broad daylight. Brainless, stupid retards pull the trigger
without a second thought. The situation is increasingly often
characterized as extraordinary. What do we have to counter this
lawlessness? Almost nothing except the courage and enthusiasm of
our staff. Hiding behind the letter of the law, leaders and
authorities find loopholes in the criminal code with the help of
high-powered lawyers and escape punishment. In order to
realistically grab a gang organizer, we need a law on criminal
activities, a law on protection of witnesses, and a law on
organized crime. It is necessary to toughen the penalties for
illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. We should think
through how to punish the mercenaries who are coming here from
"hot spots" and are ready to commit any crime. Until these
issues are resolved, we can hardly expect results commensurate
with the militia's efforts in its struggle against runaway crime.