Solntsevskaya bratva
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The Solntsevskaya bratva, or Solntsevskaya brotherhood (Russian:Солнцевская братва) are a powerful organized crime family from Moscow, Russia. It is named after the Solntsevo neighborhood in the city.
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[edit] History
Up-and-coming mobster Sergey "Mikhas" Mikhaylov and a fellow gangster, Viktor Averin formed the organization in the mid-80s. They choose to ignore the codes and guidelines of the traditional thieves in law and based themselves on a more Western style, with Mikhas preferring to call himself a 'businessman' rather than a vor. However, strict discipline was still enforced and thieves in law were not excluded from the groups activities.
Eventually, gangs under the control of the syndicate controlled virtually the entire south-west of the city. The organization also merged with the influential Orekhovskaya gang, led by thief-in-law Sergei "Sylvester" Timofeyev. The union was partly a result of fear of warfare with Chechen mafia groups and other "southerners".
In 1989-1990, the arrests of several gang leaders including Mikhaylov crippled the organization. Several high ranking gangsters tried to form their own separate crews but ended up being murdered, including Alexander Bezuvkin (killed 1990), Dima Sharapov, Valera Merin, "Edik the Fridge", Uzbek Lenya and Abramov "Dispatcher" (all killed in 1993). In 1994 a meeting of mafia bosses was held in Vienna, shortly after which Timofeyev was murdered when a bomb in his car went off near the house of the then Russian prime minister. Timofeyev's heir to the leadership of Orekhovskaya, Igor "Max" Maksimov, was killed in February of 1995. However despite all the killings, by 1996 the bratva not only regained their strength lost in the early 90's but had actually become one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Russia. Mikhaylov used Timofeyev's death as an opportunity to take control of businesses previously owned by the Orekhovskaya organization. By the end of 1995, it was estimated the Solntsevskaya group controlled about 120 legitimate firms and businesses in the Moscow, Crimea and Samara regions. They also bought many businesses abroad.
In 1993, the members of the organization met with another powerful crime boss, Semion Mogilevich, to trade in art and antiques stolen from churches and museums in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 1996 Mikhaylov was arrested in Switzerland on a variety of charges. However as he sat in prison awaiting trail and the prosecutors were building their case, a number of key witnesses turned up dead and due to the lack of evidence provided by Russian authorities, a conviction was not possible. He remains free and the boss of the organization today.
In 1997 and 1998, the presence of Mikhailov, Semion Mogilevich and others associated with the Russian Mafia behind a public company, YBM Magnex International Inc., trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, was exposed by Canadian journalists. On May 13, 1998 dozens of agents for the FBI and several other U.S. government agencies raided YBM's headquarters in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Shares in the public company, which had been valued at $1 billion on the TSE, became worthless overnight. [1] Years later, (in 2003), Mogilevich and YBM associates, but not Mikhailov, would be placed on the FBI's "Most Wanted" List in connection with the scheme.
As of 1998, the Solntsevskaya gang contains around 5,000 members. [2]
[edit] Recent and current status
The Solntsevskaya bratva have many business interests with legitimate business groups. Law enforcement believe that in addition to offering these groups 'protection' the gang also assist the businesses when it comes to not-so-legal matters.
Though it is considered one of the most powerful Russian organized crime groups, it is difficult for law enforcement to accurately measure the strength and influence of the family, since many racketeers declaring themselves 'solntsevskaya' only do so to be feared and respected, and are not actually affiliated with the organization, as well as frequent internal fighting.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "The Billion Dollar Don" (Transcript of BBC Panorama documentary which cites Mikhailov and Solntsevskaya in association with Mogilevich)
