Spheres of Interest, a Global Gathering, and a Secret Operation in Boryspil
Antimos. The thief (center) was expelled from Ukraine to Georgia, from where he immediately went to Turkey.
The crime situation in Ukraine is quite complex, as our newspaper recently covered in detail. Crime detection rates have fallen, while the number of crimes has increased. There are many factors at play, and we won't list them all here. The purpose of this publication is different: to understand how the top brass of the criminal underworld—the so-called thieves in law—are responding to this situation. Do they exist in Ukraine, how many there are, and what they do. It turns out that thieves in law (or thieves, for short, which is more correct) in Ukraine remain as they always have.
Some have remained true to the traditions of the criminal world (these are fewer, and they are older), while the majority behave in a more modern manner. Their interests include virtually anything that can make them rich, from purely criminal activities like theft, carjacking, and other crimes to serious economic processes. Experts believe that thieves exert a significant influence on the criminal world and the economy, even on politics. An attempt to strengthen the fight against thieves through legislation was unsuccessful. Law enforcement proposed introducing the concept of a "criminal community," with criminal penalties for membership in it and leadership of such a community. But the Verkhovna Rada didn't have the votes for this... So, as a rule, if thieves are detained, it's for prevention, and they are released almost immediately. They return to Ukraine because the law in Russia and Georgia treats them much more harshly. And as a transit country to Europe, Ukraine is of great interest to them.
Until recently, only one thief in law was languishing behind bars in Ukraine—a Georgian nicknamed Guga (he was believed to be connected to the theft of Mikheil Saakashvili's armored car, which was found abandoned in Kyiv). He wasn't actually serving a prison sentence, but was instead being held in a Ukrainian pretrial detention center (where he had banned drug use), awaiting a decision on extradition to Hungary (where local law enforcement is searching for him). However, a court recently released Guga on bail of 27 hryvnias. Now, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the matter of Guga's extradition is in Hungary's hands. And there are no more thieves behind bars in the country. However, sometimes law enforcement manages to permanently, or at least for a long time, deport a thief from Ukraine. For example, in 2009, Anthimos, considered the top figure in the country's criminal underworld at the time, was deported to Georgia.
Instead of a police cell, Grandfather Hasan offered to rent a luxury room in an expensive hotel for himself and the special forces.
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE. Our expert, a former high-ranking official in the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, believes that the once-strong influence of Russian thieves-in-law on the Ukrainian criminal world has now diminished dramatically. Their increasingly powerful Ukrainian "colleagues" (more on them on page 9) are severely limiting this influence, forcing them to be taken into account. They say, "If you want to resolve something here, call us." And there are plenty of things to resolve, because due to the deterioration of relations between the countries, legitimate businesses are retreating into the shadows, trying to establish channels through the thieves.
In Russia itself, the thieves' situation is currently precarious. Following the deaths of Yaponchik and Ded Khasan, Shakro Molodoy has become the most influential figure there. However, he was recently arrested on very serious charges. Our source believes that if all the charges against Shakro are proven, he faces up to 25 years in prison. The intrigue is that Shakro has recently been trying to reconcile the warring clans within the thieves' world, and he has been somewhat successful. Moreover, the source shared exclusive and verified information with Segodnya that a grand gathering of thieves from all over the world was planned for September of this year! Its initiator was Shakro. It was planned to be held outside of Russia and Ukraine. Of course, not all thieves (there are about 500 of them worldwide) were invited, only the most influential leaders, 40-45 people in total. The source believes that Nedelya and Khmelo could represent Ukraine. The goal of the meeting is to finally reconcile the clans and end the thieves' wars. But now, after Shakro's arrest, the meeting will likely not take place.
But let's return to Ukraine. As Viktor Remsky, one of the former heads of the capital's UBOP and GUBOP of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, told Segodnya, during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency (and only then) he received direct orders to release detained thieves-in-law—twice. Moreover, both times these were notorious Russian thieves.
"But one day, in April 2010, there was a situation when I was detaining the most notorious and authoritarian thief in the CIS, Ded Khasan, in Boryspil," Remsky recalls. "I was sure I'd get a call from above ordering Khasan's release. But that didn't happen."
According to Remsky, only two people in Ukraine had precise information about Ded Khasan's arrival (time, location, flight details): Viktor and the person who met the thief. In Moscow, however, only Khasan himself and a relative accompanying him knew. Khasan was flying in to meet with representatives of major Ukrainian businesses to resolve a number of issues that had arisen. Furthermore, the Ukrainian side promised Ded a stake in several enterprises if he facilitated the coronation of a local crime boss—the business needed a watchdog in a certain area. Ultimately, however, this coronation never took place.
Ded Khasan, Remsky says, didn't want to fly to Kyiv. The fact is, at one point, he was being accused of plotting an assassination attempt on Yulia Tymoshenko. And the thief feared he could be taken into custody under these suspicions. Then, the Ukrainian side, interested in Khasan's arrival, managed to obtain and forward to Moscow a certificate from the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, signed by a very high-ranking official. It stated that the agency had no claims against Ded Khasan. In essence, he was guaranteed immunity.
According to Viktor, the arrest was suddenly complicated by the fact that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyiv that very day. Khasan's flight landed at Boryspil Airport just half an hour after Putin's plane. Naturally, the entire airport was swarming with agents from various secret services, both Russian and Russian. Entering the airport was impossible, as border guards had warned the operative.
"Then I changed into a border officer's uniform (he stayed in the service room for a while) and entered the territory," Remsky recalls. "This was very important to me, because I didn't know which exit Ded Khasan would take and was afraid of missing him. Of course, there were officers with me, some in civilian clothes and some in uniform, but even they weren't fully aware of the purpose and details of the operation. Incidentally, neither did my superiors..."
"THEY KILLED EVERYONE!" Remsky stationed his men around the airport and subsequently directed them by telephone. He saw a luxury car pull up to the plane carrying Ded Khasan, the thief got in, and drove to the official delegation lounge. Remsky managed to change clothes and waited with his men for Khasan to exit the airport. The guest and his relative were met by a Ukrainian businessman and four plainclothes officers from the SBU's Alpha special forces unit. Remsky's men from the Sokol special forces unit forced them all to lie down on the tarmac. Once the situation was sorted out, the Alpha men were released, the businessman's documents were checked, his details were copied, and he, too, was released. Only then did Remsky report the operation to his superiors.
"We brought Hasan to one of the Kyiv police stations," says Viktor. "There, Ded, dressed in a fancy suit and crocodile-skin shoes, said, 'Vitya, look at me! I've forgotten what a cell looks like! Let's do this: let's rent the most luxurious room in a prestigious hotel in the center of Kyiv. You can stay with me for the entire Sokol Hotel, I'll pay for everything!' But I said, 'No, go to the cell!' And that's where he stayed..."
That morning, I arranged for Khasan to have his passport stamped, banning him from entering Ukraine for five years. And I received an order to expel Khasan from the country by evening. I picked up Ded at the district police station; he came out in a good mood, joking that the cells here were wonderful, like a hotel… But then I saw him wearing a suit, a raincoat, and… rubber slippers! (The thing is, Ded was sitting in the cell wearing the tracksuit he had with him; his outerwear had been confiscated that evening to make sure there weren't any prohibited items, and they'd returned it that morning.) I asked, "Ded, where are the shoes?" He replied, "They say they can't find them…" I called the duty officer and ordered him to return the shoes. But I jokingly said, "Give Ded his sneakers back." I saw that they were indeed taking out… old sneakers! I said, "Don't disgrace yourself and me, give me the shoes back!" They brought it… Hasan put on his shoes, and we went to the airport. There, I allowed Grandfather to see his grandson, who lives in Kyiv. Then he flew away. As it turned out, forever…"
WHO'S WHO IN THE THIVE WORLD OF TODAY'S UKRAINE
As we were told by officers from the Organized Crime Department of the National Police of Ukraine, all thieves in Ukraine can be divided into several categories. The first are Slavs, natives and citizens of our country. The second are former foreigners (often Caucasians) who settled here before 1991, started families, and acquired property. They are also our fellow citizens. The third are those dubious Ukrainian citizens whose citizenship is being contested in court, or even stateless and undocumented individuals (but who have been proven to be thieves in law).
Speaking of "decrowned" Ukrainian thieves, there is only one so far—nicknamed Krasnodonsky (crowned in 1999). He allegedly lost his thieving reputation due to drug abuse. Rumors that he has been "left behind bars" have already reached prisons and labor camps, suggesting the news is true. However, he moved from Luhansk to Chernihiv, where he is said to be trying to prove to the criminal underworld through his lifestyle that he has been treated unfairly and is attempting to regain his authority. Rumor has it that, in order to "reinforce" his authority and expand his sphere of influence, Krasnodonsky was involved in a riot in a prison colony in the Kirovohrad region earlier this summer. However, security officials reject this theory.
SLAVS. A veteran of the thieves' movement, 61-year-old Lera Sumskoy (Sedoy, Ded), has multiple criminal records. He was crowned in 1993. He is a highly respected thief, respected even by Moscow's thieves. Having spent many years behind bars, he is largely responsible for liaison with prisons and labor camps. He lives in Kyiv and Sumy and has contacts throughout the country. He is involved in both criminal matters (not directly, of course) and purely economic ones. Some speculate that Lera may be running a nationwide obshchak (of course, this is simply access to bank accounts, not a chest full of gold). Others believe that Nedelya may be in charge of the "thieves' welfare." Money from the obshchak goes, for example, to support those serving time in prison, but the reverse process also occurs: money from prisons flows into the obshchak, for example, in the form of a share of gambling or drug trafficking. Rumor has it that some of the money even goes to Moscow thieves... Generally speaking, a criminal, by contributing to the common fund, say, from a burglary, is investing, insuring his future, knowing that prison is a sure thing... And if it turns out he contributed, he'll get a "bonus" with food and other things...
Nedelya, or Lvovsky, a new breed of thief, is more closely associated with his European "colleagues." He lives in Kyiv and, according to rumors, rents a luxurious apartment in one of the most expensive hotels in the city center. He only spent a couple of months in pretrial detention before being released. He was crowned in 2012 in Thessaloniki by Greek Georgians; if we're talking about clannishness, he was crowned by the "Kutaisi gang." Nedelya's interests are varied; rumor has it that he takes businessmen under his wing. The current situation in the country is such that many entrepreneurs, especially those with legal problems, turn to thieves as arbitrators rather than to court in conflicts. For this, they have to pay a certain percentage into a common fund.
The 43-year-old thief nicknamed Umka is said to hold Dnipro and the entire region under his sway. He was crowned in St. Petersburg in 2014. Nothing serious happens in the region (which, rumor has it, also includes Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv) without his knowledge. And no other thief would enter the region without Umka's approval. One can only speculate about who among the powers that be he deals with. He is also said to have criminal advisers who have served decades in prison and who help him resolve problems with the criminal underworld without any complications.
Vasya Ushatyi leads a discreet life and rarely makes a public appearance. He was crowned in 2000 in Turkey. He is occasionally seen in Odessa (Ushatyi is a friend of Antimos, who was expelled from Ukraine several years ago). He is not actively involved in criminal activity, at least, there is no news of this. Ushatyi even fits the definition of an old-school thief more closely than the long-time prison inmate Lera Sumskaya, since the latter is now heavily involved in legal matters.
The oldest of Ukraine's thieves goes by the nickname Poltava; he was born in 1938. He was recently detained in Odessa, reportedly at an entertainment venue, and "worked on" before leaving the city and the region. But no one can deport him, as Poltava is a Ukrainian citizen. Despite his age, he's said to be still in business and a highly respected thief, respected in Russia and Europe, not to mention Ukraine. He's secretive and adheres to old-fashioned ways, so information about him is scarce.
And finally, another Odessa thief nicknamed Sharik, born in 1949. This brings the total to six Slavic thieves in law (not counting Krasnodonsky). There was also Artur E. (Artur Odessky), who was serving a life sentence for the Odessa café shooting, but, according to investigators, he died in prison about three years ago. Also dying in 2011 was thief Sergei M. (Mamed, crowned in 1999), considered the heir to Antimos, who was deported in 2009.
CAUCASIANS. In addition, there are 16 other thieves living almost permanently in the country, mostly from the Caucasus, who somehow acquired our citizenship, primarily under Article 8 of the migration law (that is, as people who lived in Ukraine before its independence). Let's name a few. For example, there's the Georgian thief Khmelo, born in 1960, who previously lived in Donetsk. There's also an Armenian nicknamed Khokhol. He's one of the new thieves, but he hasn't served time. He was crowned in 2011 in Moscow. However, after Ded Hasan's death, Shakro Molodoy returned to Moscow and called into question all the coronations from 2011 to 2014, believing the thieves crowned then to be protégés of those with whom he was feuding. However, Khokhol has apparently already regained his status and lives alternately in Kirovohrad and Armenia. Another one, a Georgian thief nicknamed Magala, was serving time for robbery in Boryspil. A gang attacked a family, and the bandits tortured people. He served only four years, and not in a prison camp, but in a pretrial detention center. After that, the Ukrainian migration service allowed him to obtain Ukrainian citizenship! And therefore, the police can't do anything to him. He lives in western Ukraine.
There are two more individuals who received residence permits in our country, but their citizenship is being contested in court. They are a 46-year-old Georgian thief nicknamed "Prince," crowned in 1990 and living in the Zaporizhzhia region, and 43-year-old Lasha Ochamchirsky, crowned in 1995, who is wanted in connection with a case in Italy and is currently in hiding. There are also three individuals, also Georgian thieves in law, detained by police about a year ago on immigration grounds. They are being held in special detention centers for undocumented people (there are two such facilities in Ukraine, in Chernihiv and Volyn). Their future fate depends on the decisions of the Georgian consulate and our courts.
Thus, there are 27 thieves in law in the country (not counting Gugu). Of course, the number may change—some are deported, some return to us—but those thieves who have become ingrained in Ukrainian reality continue to wield enormous influence over the criminal, and indeed every other, situation in the country. The law essentially allows them to do so…
A TOUR OF AUTHORITIES TO SOLOVKI AND THE LERA FESTIVAL
Eduard Svintsitsky, former head of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and later head of the Kyiv Oblast Department for Combating Organized Crime, says:
In 2007, when I joined the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime as head of the "gangster" department, there were about 15-17 known thieves in Ukraine. When I left for my new position in 2010, there were only four left. Not counting the occasional outliers we caught and deported. The main one, after Antimos's deportation, was, of course, Lera Sumskoy. Mamed was also a prominent figure until his death from illness. I remember about six months before his death, we detained a whole group of criminal figures after their excursion to Solovki. About 30 people, including the thief Mamed, chartered a plane and flew to Solovki, I don't know why, probably to see the conditions their predecessors had once endured. We received information about their return, so I took the Sokol group from Kyiv, and we headed to Donetsk airport. There they were all "received," brought to the local police station, given a thorough checkup, "finger-checked," and, in short, all possible information was collected. Then, of course, they were released—there was no reason to detain them under our laws.
"Lera Sumskoy was very angry at the GUBOP operatives and special forces for ruining her birthday."
The influence of thieves in prisons was (and remains) particularly great. We, at the former Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, also had information about the situation in prisons; we generally cooperated well with the administration and the operational unit. When I was in the Kyiv region, we received information about drug trafficking into the prison. That is, they were literally smuggling the drug (usually shirka) over the fence in hot water bottles and large rubber enemas. The administration accommodated us; we obtained all the permits and installed equipment in the rooms where the drugs were distributed. We tracked the entire chain, right down to the transfer of money to bank cards, and then arrested all those involved. We were talking about tens and even hundreds of thousands of hryvnias. Perhaps we disrupted the business of some thieves... And how many thieves' gatherings did we break up? However, they also had counterintelligence, so sometimes the thieves didn't show up to the gatherings we knew about. But not always, of course. I remember a group of thieves and crime bosses, about 30 of them, celebrating Lera Sumskaya's birthday at a restaurant in Crimea. Noticing our cars (and unexpectedly, there was no way to get to the restaurant), they started running away. We literally chased them around the area... We couldn't find Lera himself for a long time, but then we finally found him and detained him. Oh, he was so angry with us then... Of course, we later questioned them, gave them some preventative work, and let them go. And not because, as they sometimes shout, "the cops are bought," but because we had nothing to charge them with, and we weren't working on the lawlessness.
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