Alley of “Heroes” at Khovanskoye Cemetery. Unknown beauty of a gangster cemetery Photos of the graves of crime bosses

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Echo of the lads
How the oldest cemetery in the Russian capital was turned into a gangster burial ground

By decree of the Governing Senate in March 1771, during the plague epidemic, a graveyard was founded near the village of Vagankovo near Moscow. On topic: Tombstones of Russian crime bosses

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Just 30 years ago, no one could have imagined that bandits and murderers would be buried at the legendary Vagankovskoe cemetery, which became the eternal resting place of truly outstanding personalities and brilliant artists - Vladimir Vysotsky, Andrei Mironov, the poet Sergei Yesenin. How did it happen that in the very heart of Moscow, not far from the tombstone of Alexander Abdulov...

...the modest grave of Georgy Burkov

and TV presenter and journalist Vlad Listyev, who was murdered by gangsters 24 years ago

“concrete” monuments will rise to the heavens of unheard-of pomp, proclaiming the memory of the representatives of the fallen “brotherhood”.

It’s even somehow awkward in front of the “chief of Chukotka,” the wonderful artist Mikhail Kononov, who was awarded a modest “window” in the “stand” of the columbarium on Vagankovsky.

Apparently, the Ministry of Culture mourned the people’s favorite, who played the main roles in legendary Soviet films, on a lesser scale than the “brothers”.

How were criminals buried in the 90s and 00s?

The leaders of brigades, criminal groups and clans went into oblivion pompously. The media covered the event, savoring every detail of the tragedy. Those who went on their final journey to see off the “public figures of an alternative reality” were those who were kindly treated and awarded the highest awards back in the Soviet era, when murderers and rapists were waited not in restaurants, but in the execution corridors of Butyrka, followed by the burial of the corpse in an unmarked mass grave under number.

Any, but - and not only Vagankovskoye! - a cemetery is a place for grief and sadness for the dead, but is it possible to hold back a grin when you see intricate photos and epitaphs of the dead against the backdrop of gilded fences?

It was the 90s that became the time when Russia overnight turned into the “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors.” The sculptor who sculpted the monument to Marshal Zhukov went out of his way to try to properly perpetuate the memory of the Caucasian brothers who kept half of Moscow in fear, one of whom, during his stormy youth, managed to avoid a sentence for rape thanks to the acquired certificate of sluggish schizophrenia.

Where is the modest field marshal who ordered to write on a simple tombstone?

Remarkable! The graves of artists, heroes, and pop performers are sometimes in less than ideal condition. There is often no one to care for them. But the tombstones of crime bosses are always well-kept. They are carefully cleared of ice and snow by local caretakers, who are generously rewarded for their work.

So who is more dearly remembered in this country? Probably the latter.

Let's remember everyone by name! The monument to one of the undisputed leaders of Russian organized crime, Vyacheslav Ivankov, is magnificent. The deceased, famous for the driver “Jap”, had the status of a thief in law.

He began his glorious criminal career back in the mid-60s with petty pickpocketing. But he spent most of his life in prisons in the USSR and Russia for much more serious matters. Yaponchik also lived in the USA, where they say he loved listening to songs composed by the maestro of criminal chanson, Mikhail Tanich.

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The author of this wonderful composition is People's Artist of Russia Alexander Rukavishnikov, an outstanding master of monumental and easel compositions, author of monuments to Gagarin, Rachmaninov, Rostropovich, Magomayev, Mikhalkov.

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Viktor Airapetov also lies at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. He is also “Vitya Ryazansky”. The monument to the creator of the legendary Airapetovskaya criminal group, which kept the entire Ryazan region in fear, is more modest. This is understandable. He was a young man and sat smaller. But he did a lot for the country.

Airapetov’s bandit group numbered hundreds, divided into units and brigades of militants, who, over the years of “productive activity”, “produced” thousands of corpses.

Starting with extorting money from local co-operators, the Ayrapetov gangster community took control of the entire Ryazan oil refinery, eliminating those who resisted, receiving profit from each fuel tanker, and then regularly paying tribute... all to the same Yaponchik.

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Who knows, if not for the war with the Slonovskaya organized crime group, to what heights would Vitya Ryazansky, who fell on the fields of the lads back in 1995, have reached today? Peace to the ashes of the failed people's choice, whose grave is surrounded by a gilded fence, making an impression on everyone who walks by.

Local caretakers say that Viktor Sergeevich himself, who skillfully evaded the pursuit of enemies and law enforcement officers, is a no-no! – and he’ll come here to feel sad from Europe, where he’s been living lately. But the fact of his miraculous resurrection has not been scientifically confirmed by anyone.

Let's move on. The graves of Otari Kvantrishvili and his brother are covered with the wings of the “Angel of the Lord”. The legendary Georgian was friends with Joseph Davydovich Kobzon, was involved in robbery, money laundering, and racketeering. By 1994, when shots ended his life at the exit from the Krasnopresnensky baths, he controlled half of Moscow, having shares in casinos, hotels, and the capital's restaurant business.

This did not stop Otari Kvantrishvili from heading sports foundations whose goal was... restoring the rule of law in the country. According to the version of journalist Paul Klebnikov, who was later shot, the Kvantrishvili brothers fell as a result of a fierce war between the then not entirely fraternal Slavic and Chechen organized crime groups.

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The monument to them was sculpted by Vyacheslav Klykov, laureate of the USSR State Prize, who immortalized Marshal Zhukov in the heart of the capital, who fearlessly led regiments into battle and, fortunately, did not live to see the times when the brothers went into battle, to the singing and accompaniment of the well-fed People's Artists of the USSR.

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You can’t say anything about the rich, tombstones have been created (it’s hard to call it monuments) of the criminal authorities Vladimir (aka Vachkos Six-Fingered) and Rudolf (aka Rudik General Bakinsky) Oganovs, who to their misfortune quarreled with grandfather Hassan. The brothers charged the legend of the Soviet criminal world with unauthorized “borrowing” of money from the common fund. Recklessness, as you understand, cost them dearly. Rudolf Sergeevich alone received 40 bullets from killers in February 1999. Brother Vladimir, sentenced by the stern Grandfather, did not survive him for long.

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Thus ended the earthly journey of the brothers, for whom, with shouts a la “For Rudolf Sergeevich, for the godfather!” Russian pop stars danced.

Lyuba Uspenskaya for Rudolf Sergeich for the godfather

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They also buried the crime boss Valerian (Peso) Kuchuloria on Vagankovsky. But I didn’t have the chance to lie in the trump spot for long. The relatives of the Afghan hero, who “had to make room,” raised a serious scandal. Peso's friends had two options: to place their relatives (there were many of them) in graves in less elite graveyards, or to take Peso away from sin... After consulting, the bandits chose the second option.

At the 28th section of the Vagankovskoye cemetery there is a mass grave of members of the Baumanskaya organized crime group, which gained a reputation for ferocious lawlessness in the 90s. In the center of the “Walk of Fame” lie the leader of the group Bobon (Vladislav Vanner) and his bodyguard Misha Glodin. They were shot in 1994.

The monument, judge for yourself... It’s modest. Either the gang didn’t have enough money for Rukavishnikov, or they were being modest.

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If you think that this is all, then... you are deeply mistaken. Come to Vagankovskoye! Local rangers will guide you where you need to go for a moderate fee. If you want, go to Vysotsky, Talkov, Listyev, Abdulov. Well, do you want to go to Yaponchik or the Baumanskys...

What about them?

Where are crime bosses buried in other countries? You don’t have to look far for examples of a more rational approach to burying various kinds of dregs of society. Let's take a look at neighboring Belarus, where in the 90s, crime bosses of all stripes - thieves in law and other contingents - raised their heads high and proud.

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Among them were the crowned thief in law Shchavlik (pictured in the center), and the no less privileged “authority” Trac (pictured below).

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Alexander Lukashenko, who came to power in 1994, ordered the special services to prepare for him a list of all the criminal authorities who began to become impudent in the same way as in Russia (with a slightly smaller scope, of course).

Overnight, most of them... went missing. A UFO stole them, or what? Moreover, they all disappeared so reliably that to this day (after more than 20 years) not even their bodies have been found. The opposition Belarusian press attributes their destruction to “death squads” - secret special forces for the physical elimination of undesirable elements in the local internal affairs bodies.

“You remember these sorrel and others. Where are they now? - the Belarusian leader became sad at the end of 2001 on the air of the local program “Panorama”, transparently hinting that everything in his country was “under control”. True... with the thieves in law, opposition politicians disappeared somewhere forever. But this is a topic for another article.

What about the people of Russia? If we believe the statements of officials, he is friendly and united, as prescribed by the Constitution. But, judging by the splendor of gangster alleys in the main Moscow churchyards, the strongest friendships are among representatives of domestic crime, cultural figures, many of whom got their start in life by performing in taverns, and... representatives of government agencies. Unfortunately, some of them drew their lucky ticket there.

Such a story.

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At all the prestigious cemeteries of the capital: Vagankovsky, Staroarmyansky, Danilovsky, Nikolo-Arkhangelsky - the best places are given over to gangster alleys

Granite steles, multi-pound crosses, gilded fences, angels one and a half human height... Famous sculptors worked on these monuments. Prophetic epitaphs from Dante and other classics were selected by distinguished writers. If you grieve and remember, then on a grand scale!..

There is a particularly reverent attitude towards criminal authorities even after death. At cemeteries they invariably get VIP seats: at the entrance, on the central alley. The monuments are illuminated, in winter the staff clears them of snow and ice with soft brushes in any weather, and in the summer they place fresh flowers. There are “brotherly” alleys in all the prestigious cemeteries of the capital: Vagankovsky, Staroarmyansky, Danilovsky, Nikolo-Arkhangelsky... There are even private “brotherly” cemeteries, like the one located in Rakitki near Moscow. In the early 90s, the gang bought entire plots of land in rural and urban churchyards. So that the boys can be together in the next world.

Our special correspondents went on a raid through the capital’s prestigious churchyards, to the graves of “gentlemen of fortune.”

At the entrance to the Vagankovskoe cemetery there is a skyscraper stele, above it there is a marble angel, arms outstretched over the tombstones with bronze wreaths. Engraved on two paired granite slabs: Amiran Kvantrishvili. Otari Kvantrishvili.

Brothers - composers? - the visitors are talking.

Prominent public figures! - the former cemetery worker, now a freelance guide to the world of the dead, Valera, grins cynically.

The angel on the grave is so big, no match for Listyov’s skinny seraphim (nearby is the grave of TV presenter Vladislav Listyev. - Author), - the guests of the graveyard pay tribute to the grave.

Of course! - Valera agrees. - The famous sculptor Klykov worked on the monument to the Kvantrishvili brothers, the first of whom was shot by sworn friends in 1993, the second a year later.

The one that sculpted Zhukov on a horse? - the listeners are surprised.

Valera says that the epochal building, dedicated to the memory of the Kvantrishvili brothers, took several years to create. It obviously cost the customer a lot.

Otari Kvantrishvili was a legendary figure in Moscow in the late 80s and early 90s. He was called the godfather of the capital's mafia and at the same time a fighter for justice. Otari started out as a card player. He was a close friend of Vyacheslav Ivankov (Yaponchik). In the fall of 1993, he created the “Athletes of Russia” party and took part in the destruction of the White House. He was the head of the Lev Yashin Fund for the Social Protection of Athletes, against which the Moscow RUOP had a grudge for a long time. Honored coach of Russia in Greco-Roman wrestling. Patron and businessman...

On April 5, 1994, Otari was shot by a killer sniper at the exit from the Krasnopresnensky baths. The killer has still not been found. The investigation put forward the most fantastic versions, none of which found official confirmation. They say that the killer was the famous Solonik - Sasha the Great.

However, Otari received the “black mark” a year before his death. On August 6, 1993, his brother Amiran was killed in the office of a small business. He arrived at the company's office together with the thief Fedya Besheny (Fedor Ishin). The mercenaries shot both of them.

We walk further along the Vagankovskoye cemetery. The prestigious churchyard is now considered closed and is overcrowded. Here it is possible to carry out burials only along the family line, if space allows: to “share” the deceased with the deceased grandmother, uncle, nephew. True, a hero, honorary or other particularly distinguished citizen can receive the honor of lying in a famous cemetery. But this must have special permission from the city administration.

How the grave of the head of the Ryazan criminal group, Viktor Airapetov, appeared on Vagankovo is doubly a mystery.

It is not known for certain whether Airapet or anyone else was buried for him. The documents are most likely fictitious. Any good owner always has a couple of unregistered graves hidden away. If you start digging, you won’t prove anything. The cemetery archive burned down back in October 1941,” Valera enlightens us.

When approaching the burial place of Viktor Airapetov, you want to close your eyes. The massive marble slab is framed by a fence with abundant gilding. Rumor has it that Viktor Airapetov himself came more than once to admire his pompous grave. Not from the underworld, but from our hectic life. Did the crime boss simply fake his own death?

In the early 90s of the last century, master of sports in freestyle wrestling Viktor Airapetov created the most powerful underground fighting organization in Ryazan - “Ayrapetovskaya”. At the international level, she was supported by Yaponchik himself. By 1993, Airapetov moved to Moscow. “Ayrapetovskie” were divided into brigades and numbered from 800 to 1,500 members. But soon they encountered a serious obstacle - the “elephant” group. They shot the elite of the “Ayrapetovskys”. The gang leader himself managed to escape only by a miracle. And a great criminal war began in Ryazan. And on November 19, 1995, at about three o’clock in the morning, the death of Viktor Airapetov was recorded. Special forces officers took part in the kidnapping of the founder and leader of the group of the same name. Masked people put the guards face down, and the authority itself was taken away in an unknown direction. Two weeks later, in an anonymous call, they reported the number of the plaque in the general burial ground. A Rolex watch and the bandit’s famous belt with silver plates were found on the corpse dug out of the ground. The wife looked at the burnt corpse with a hole in the head and calmly said: “Yes, that’s him.” Later, she and the “authority’s” mother left for permanent residence in Europe. Shortly before his disappearance, Airapetov received Greek citizenship and changed his last name to Aravidis. A few years later, Ryazan entrepreneurs accidentally met Vitya Ryazansky in Europe. But officially Airapetov is dead.

Take a look at the ******** site, Valera advises us. - There are monuments to thieves in law, similar to the monument to Pushkin on Tverskaya or Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square.

We go through the massive gate to the indicated churchyard. On the right hand, in an antique chair, sits a bronze man with a thoughtful look. Engraved on the pedestal: Vladimir Sergeevich Oganov. On the left is the bronze Rudolf Sergeevich Oganov. The entire space near the brothers' graves is filled with marble vases. Flowers - roses, lilies, chrysanthemums - at the premiere at the Bolshoi Theater.

The Oganov brothers (Rudik Bakinsky and Vachigos Six-fingered) were not just famous thieves. They occupied some of the highest places in the criminal hierarchy. For which they paid. At the end of the last century, a criminal war broke out between the Oganovs and Aslan Usoyan (better known as Ded Hassan), which escalated into a war of mafia clans. Three times convicted 53-year-old Rudik was killed in February 1999 in a cafe on the Moscow Ring Road, after at a thieves' meeting he accused Ded Hasan of embezzling money from the common fund. Grandfather Hassan was then “uncrowned.” And Oganov, who had just returned from the south, received more than 40 bullets from the killers. The reason was the previous execution of thieves from the Hasan clan in Essentuki. After him, the influential Moscow “criminal general” Boris Apakia (Khripaty) gathered the mafiosi supporting Usoyan, and they passed a final verdict on Oganov. After some time, the same fate befell Vladimir Oganov.

We go in search of the grave of another crime boss - Peso Kuchuloria. Experienced gravedigger Sergei Ivanovich stops us:

Don't look, you won't find. I dug Peso's grave myself. Then the gopstopniks paid us 200 rubles each. Only a week later a scandal broke out. Peso's grave turned out to be the burial site of an Afghan warrior. The latter's relatives made a fuss. The pesos were dug up and taken to the Domodedovo cemetery.

Officially, Valerian Cuculoria, nicknamed Peso, went missing in 1993. He was one of the close friends of the same Otari Kvantrishvili.

Knowing that at the 28th precinct of Vagankov lie many members of the once powerful Bauman criminal group, in the very center of the precinct we look for a monument made of black marble, under which their leader, Bobon, rests. The grave, again, is a steam room. Next to Bobon (“in the world” - Vladislav Abrekovich Vygorbin-Vanner lies his bodyguard. Bright yellow apples are laid out in a pyramid on the slab: someone close to him came here for the Apple Spas.

Bobon was one of the most erudite and powerful “authorities” of the late 80s. His Bauman group kept half of Moscow in fear. Bobon, aka Vladislav Vygorbin, was considered the right hand of the thief Globus. Bobon loved cars very much and drove around Moscow in a snow-white sports two-door Buick without a driver's license, since he spent one of his three terms in a psychiatric hospital, where he learned English perfectly, but received a certificate of mental illness and therefore had to pass a commission to receive a car license. could no longer be right.

In 1994, a dispute broke out over a nightclub, the “roof” of which was provided by Globus and his team. Globus unexpectedly demanded to increase its share. He was shot by the Kurgan people, and Solonik took responsibility for the murder. Then the same Solonik killed Bobon. He and his bodyguard were going to practice at a shooting range on the Volokolamsk highway. The killers drilled holes in the concrete fence ahead of time. As soon as Bobona's Ford taxied into the yard, they opened fire on him. Bobon, his bodyguard, and Bobon's dog were killed. And the daughter of the “authority” managed to fall on the floor between the seats of the car.

At the Danilovskoye Cemetery, VIP burials are hidden from prying eyes. Only twice - following the worker Grishany - having overcome the holes in the fence, we find ourselves in the granite world.

“It’s all Karelian granite here, guaranteed for more than a hundred years,” says our guide. - This stone is the most expensive. A crypt with a sliding slab and a tombstone costs 10 thousand “greens”, engraving a portrait costs another 4.5 thousand. And if you sculpt a sculpture with all the bells and whistles - borders, steps - 300 thousand “greenery” must be prepared.

Wandering among the “concrete monuments”, we find the family grave of the Chograshi family. The following are engraved on the marble steles: “Nono”, “Dato”, “Kike”.

In August 2001, an armored Mercedes 600 burned down in Khimki, in which two well-known ********* thieves in law - Dato and Nono Chograshi - were traveling. A Mercedes with a driver and two passengers was heading towards the capital from Sheremetyevo airport. Suddenly, while driving, the Mercedes caught fire. The fire was caused by an explosion. The brothers died of burns in the hospital. It was assumed that the attempt was connected with the division of the thieves' common fund.

“I remember how Nodar Chograshi was buried,” continues Grisha. - There weren't many people at the ceremony. There were about twenty thieves in law and “authorities”, among them knowledgeable people identified Miho the Blind and Besik. I also remember that the grave was lined with bricks and the coffin was filled with concrete. Then I was surprised: why? It turns out that in the homeland of the deceased - in Armenia - the dead are buried in the mountains, in carved out niches.

The gravedigger Grisha smells not of vodka, but of expensive perfume. He is not wearing greasy overalls, but ironed overalls. By caring for the graves, by Grisha’s own admission, he “rows” up to 50 thousand rubles a month with an official salary of 5 thousand.

When a heartbreaking funeral march sounds in the depths of the cemetery, Grisha winces:

Brass bands are in bad taste these days. “Great people,” for example, are buried with “live” music. Opera stars arrive at the cemetery and perform pitiful arias from Italian operas. And coffins are generally the calling card of the deceased. It is in the outback that reusable dominos - “shuttles” - walk around in circles. To deliver the deceased to the cemetery, a coffin decorated with ruffles and bows is rented to the poor for 200-300 rubles. With us, everything is different.

Deceased VIPs are rolled to their final resting place in varnish and bronze. Elite coffins are a real work of coffin art: made of mahogany, equipped with bronze, “antique” handles, illuminated, air conditioning, built-in stereo music system, decorated with a reproduction of a painting by a famous artist. Particularly popular are double-lidded “senator” coffins, which are also equipped with a so-called elevator that raises or lowers the body. The cost of such a house starts from 10 thousand “green” and rushes to infinity.

How the grave is covered with wreaths, they give a funeral salute - they release a rocket with black twinkling stars, - Grisha sums up.

Having telephoned the administration of several capital cemeteries, we were convinced: despite the “overcrowding,” there are no problems with organizing burial places in cemeteries. Enough to pay. The price of the issue of “resettlement” in closed cemeteries ranges from 50 to 200 thousand rubles.

St. Petersburg does not lag behind Moscow's funeral. In August, at the Northern Cemetery, on the grave of the influential shadow “authority” Konstantin Yakovlev, better known as Kostya Mogila, an extremely pompous monument worth 600 thousand “greens” was erected. In the center is the figure of Kostya Mogila himself, hugging an Orthodox cross with his hands. At the feet of the deceased is a snake that is about to bite him. Two half-meter-tall angels look at Kostya Mogila from different sides: one folds his hands in prayer, the second pulls them towards the “authority”. The words are inscribed in gold on the black granite: “I kissed those who betrayed me on the forehead, and not the one who betrayed me on the lips.”

Inscriptions and epitaphs on the graves of “authorities” are a separate issue. In Togliatti, on the monument to the leader of the criminal community Dmitry Ruzlyaev - Dima Bolshoi - there is a laconic inscription: “Dima”. On the tombstone of a difficult man nicknamed Blue, friends wrote: “And nothing will grow from the spiritual ashes, only time will mercilessly punish for those who will not come again.” In Vladivostok, the grave of thief in law Miho is decorated with an unambiguous inscription: “Here sleep goodness and justice.” But Mukha Bely’s friends and associates outdid everyone: they decorated the stele in the shape of a cell phone with the inscription: “The subscriber has left the service area.”

Monuments depicting “brothers” with playing cards and keys to Mercedes in their hands are a thing of the past. In recent years, monuments to “authorities” have been created with imagination. For example, in Nizhny Novgorod, at the Starozavodskoe cemetery, there is a unique tombstone of a man known in criminal circles named Zaron. Next to the full-length statue of the deceased, a stone swan “swims”, from whose eyes... tears flow.

Majestic monuments cannot but attract the attention of non-ferrous metal collectors. All kinds of bronze details are dragged from the graves: boards, ribbons, flowers. It happens that looters break out entire busts and take them away for melting down. It’s paradoxical, but, according to the assurances of cemetery workers, there are never any thefts from the burials of thieves in law and “authorities.” Thieves are afraid of deceased “positioners” even after their death. The power of crime extends not only to earthly life?..

The boys didn’t forget Kostya Mogila
The most expensive tombstone, worth $200,000, was installed in the Northern capital for an ordinary former gravedigger from the Southern cemetery

The famous St. Petersburg businessman Konstantin Yakovlev, better known in certain circles as Kostya Mogila, was shot dead on May 25, 2003 in Moscow. The Nissan Maxima, in which, in addition to Yakovlev, there were his bodyguard, driver and close friend, was riddled with a machine gun by a killer passing by on a motorcycle. The men died on the spot from their wounds, and the woman, who accidentally bent down a second before the shooting, was seriously injured, but remained alive.

The tragedy occurred during the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. Until the end of the celebrations, the authorities banned funerals in the city on the Neva. Therefore, the deceased waited 10 days for burial in the Moscow Lefortovo morgue. Only on June 3, Yakovlev’s body was delivered to St. Petersburg.

Many years ago, Konstantin Yakovlev worked as a gravedigger at the Southern Cemetery. For his incredible achievements in digging speed - he dug a grave in 40 minutes - he received his nickname. It was assumed that the mortal body of Konstantin Yakovlev would be given to the churchyard where he began his career. However, they did not bury him at the Southern Cemetery; they chose the Northern Cemetery, where his relatives were buried.

They say that when the funeral procession of 50–60 foreign cars headed to the Northern Cemetery, accompanied by four traffic police cars, and on Arsenalnaya Embankment drew level with the famous “Crosses,” lingering signals from the column of cars were heard. And the prison responded with a dull echo of thousands of male voices, since they knew in advance when Kostya Mogila would be transported past the pre-trial detention center.

When Yakovlev was buried, before the monument was made, a huge oak Orthodox cross was installed on a freshly grown mound. A sea of flowers and wreaths lay on the grave. On one of the wreaths there was a mourning ribbon with the inscription: “Sleep well, Konstantin, we will never forget you! Guys."

And the monument to Konstantin Yakovlev was erected, the most magnificent in the entire Northern capital. It is rumored to be worth $200,000. In the center of the monument is the figure of the Bone of the Grave itself. The deceased embraces the Orthodox cross with his hands. But a snake crawled to his feet. She has already opened her mouth and is about to bite him. The words are inscribed in gold on the black granite: “I kissed those who betrayed me on the forehead, and not the one who betrayed me on the lips.” The sculptural group also includes two half-meter angels who look at Kostya Mogila from different sides. One folds his hands in prayer, the second, on the contrary, pulls them towards authority.

* Prices for monuments to brothers start from $5-10 thousand.

* For a long time, in the criminal environment, there was a fashion for depicting dead “comrades-in-arms” on black marble with the keys to a Mercedes and a cell phone in their hands.

* For the authority of Vasily Naumov, nicknamed Yakut, who was killed in South Korea, the Russian gang bought a coffin inlaid with gold, with an electronic refrigerator and an automatically opening lid worth $15 thousand.

* The grave of the Nizhny Novgorod criminal leader nicknamed Zaron is decorated with the figure of the deceased standing next to a crying stone swan.

* The alley of brothers at the Tolyatti cemetery is opened by a monument to the leader of the criminal group Dmitry Ruzlyaev - a huge marble slab with the inscription “Dima”.

In the cemeteries of our vast homeland you can find unusual tombstones with images of respectable men. Expensive suits, leather jackets, tattoos and gold chains - all this flaunts on the monuments belonging to the crime bosses of the dashing 90s and their entourage.

See what the monuments of Ded Hassan, Yaponchik and other pathetic graves of famous participants in gang wars of the past look like in our material.

Grandfather Hassan was called the main mafioso of Russia, who knows no mercy and is behind all the thieves' wars. His real name is Aslan Usoyan, date of birth is February 28, 1937. Aslan committed his first crime as a child, and by the age of 16 he firmly decided that he would become a “professional” pickpocket.

Young Aslan Usoyan in the top row in the middle

At the age of 18, the future crime boss received his first sentence - a year and a half in prison. After this, he found himself in prison more than once and was once “crowned.” Having become a thief in law, Ded Hassan gained power over shadow businesses in almost all Russian regions. He belonged to the “old school” thieves, and repeatedly acted as an “arbiter” in showdowns between large gangs.

In 2013, Ded Hassan was shot and killed by a sniper. The grave of the crime boss is located at the very entrance to the Khovanskoye cemetery in Moscow. She looks rather pompous.

The grave of thief in law Aslan Usoyan (Ded Hasan)

However, his grave is inferior in decoration and chic to the creation that Bory’s son ordered “Soda” for his late father.

The grave of Boris "Soda" Chubarov

And although he did not die as “heroically” as Grandfather Hasan (the cause of Boris Chubarov’s death was cirrhosis of the liver), a real work of art was built for his grave. On it there is a monument to the deceased himself and a Mercedes car - all life-size.

It is noteworthy that the license plates on the car carry a certain hidden meaning, which is known only to the deceased and the customer of the project - his son. The thing is that the letter “F” is not used in Russian license plates. Unless it's an unfortunate mistake by the sculptor...

Grave of Ivankov Vyacheslav Kirillovich (“Jap”)

Speaking of mistakes, above is the grave of the famous “Jap” - Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov. And for some reason, when creating it, they were in such a hurry that they missed one letter in the surname, writing “Ivankov” instead.

Ivankov was one of the main Russian thieves in law and the leader of a criminal clan in Moscow. On July 28, 2009, there was an attempt on his life. On October 9, “Jap” died in the hospital from peritonitis that he developed.

Lev Genkin's grave "Tits"

And this is the grave of Genkin Lev Leontyevich or, as he was called in gangster circles, Leva “Tits”. Lyova went to every job he did with his daddy under his arm... Why? In this way, he tried to create the impression of an intelligent business man and, when he came across the operatives, he claimed that he was an employee of the Jewish embassy.

The grave of Nikolai Tutberidze (“Matsi”)

This unusual white tombstone with a monument to a man sitting on it is located on the grave of Nikolai Tutberidze, better known as Matsi. He died in 2003 from cancer. This disease spares no one, be it a simple worker or a crime boss.

Portrait of Malkhaz Minadze on the tombstone of his grave

The tombstone of Malkhaz Minadze depicts the thief in law himself and his wife, who, by the way, is alive and well... A very unusual artistic solution.

And here are a few more graves that stand out noticeably from others in the cemetery.

Internet users express their outrage at the honors with which criminals are buried:

“Historians of the distant future will dig up these statues and tombstones and will study them and compare them with even more ancient ancient statues. There were gods, philosophers, emperors... And in our era - thieves in law. Disgraceful!”

This is exactly what the last refuges of the criminal authorities who ruled the world of thieves in the dashing 90s look like. Despite all the indignation of Internet users, it is worth noting that the work of the sculptors completing the projects is surprising and deserves respect.

What do you think of these creations?

November 30th, 2016

Look how beautiful she is, this marble woman.

Who is she, this Ekaterina Sharapova? The monument says that she is a catwalk star. "Gifted with the talent of a make-up artist, artist, fashion designer." With all its marble luxury, it resembles the outlines of a camp tattoo “with a beauty”. A coquettishly exposed knee and voluminous hair break the graveyard seriousness. Someone's mistress, beloved? Even the watchman of the Shirokorechensky cemetery himself does not know who she is or who erected this monument.

That's for sure, eternal love. Perhaps twenty-seven-year-old Catherine died at the hands of the one who erected this sculptural composition. It’s not ordinary people who lie here, but terrible ones.

The Shirokorechenskoye cemetery in Yekaterinburg is half occupied by gang graves. For two decades now, the names of many who are buried here have been mentioned with a breath of horror. Their murderous competitors became billionaires, settled in administrative bodies, and fled abroad with huge capital. And those who are unlucky lie under luxurious monuments. And most of them are not even thirty...

“Uralmash men” are defending the Saldinsky metallurgical plant they captured, and a group rivaling them is preparing to storm the plant’s management.

This is a shot of a real war, where blood was shed and corpses lay under the slabs of expensive tombstones.

The barbaric luxury of the monuments amazes with their straightforwardness. Full-length photo and Mercedes keys in hands. Misha Kuchin, honorary citizen of Yekaterinburg, friend of Roizman.

This man’s wife, a gypsy, gave 75 thousand dollars for the monument to her beloved husband. At that time - the price of three apartments in Yekaterinburg.

The grave of a serious man Oleg Vagin and his guards.

Here's a closer look at the guards' faces.

Oops, my namesake! “Center” Flarit Valiev was leaving the casino and ran into a burst of machine gun fire, but continues to smile dashingly at the monument.

How nimble is this Valiev. I caught his photo three times at different ends of the post. Calm down, man.

I don’t know what kind of guy, but I smiled back at him:

The leader of the Sverdlovsk Afghans is Lebedev. We all know that former internationalist soldiers en masse became bandits, was there such a time?

And next to it is a monument to Viktor Kasintsev and his bodyguards. Victor was in charge of the Afghans while Lebedev was in prison. Well... it ended the same for everyone.

Monument to the thief in law. Alexander Khorkov (Ferret), born 1958 - killed in 1992 in an apartment by a shot through a window.

Gypsy graves. Gypsies are simple guys. Kolka and Vaska, ghouls and ghouls of narcotic Yekaterinburg, lie in the ground.

A certain Screamer - what does it have to do with driving.

This beautiful monument was not erected to someone’s mistress or model wife. Marina Degtyarenko caught a taxi and became a victim of a serial killer. She was such a beauty.

I can say about the luxurious bandit graves - if modern technology had been available during the establishment of the feudal system, the cannibals and thieves of that time would have received even more luxurious memories! Cannibals and thieves are, in the future, the best surnames and the purest noble blood. Aristocracy.

The images on the monuments remind me of those feudal battles. Especially Lebedev with the sword.

In addition to fat pieces of property, they were in a hurry to stake their claim on prestigious plots in city cemeteries. For all their coolness, the brothers understood that a person is mortal, and today you are the king of life, and tomorrow you are a corpse. After all, people were killed often and regularly in those days. So entire neighborhoods of “authoritative” graves appeared in city cemeteries. Until the 90s of the last century, the funeral of a thief in law differed from ordinary ones only in the number of people who came to honor his memory. Otherwise, everything is the same as everyone else’s: a standard coffin, wreaths, grave, metal monument or, at best, marble. But when the country began to rule the roost, everything changed.

In the early 90s, it was not even thieves who set the criminal tone, but “authoritative” entrepreneurs and “athletes.” These could include the Kvantrishvili brothers - and. The eldest, Amiran, in his youth, made friends with gamblers and became a card player. The younger one was engaged in wrestling, but following the example of his older brother, he also became involved in crime. In the 80s, despite the absence of the title “”, the Kvantrishvili brothers had the same weight at gatherings as the generals of the criminal world. And in the early 90s they were already dollar millionaires, communicating on equal terms with major officials.

Vagankovskoye Cemetery - authorities

But it was precisely this force that caused their death. On August 6, 1993, Amiran Kvantrishvili, together with thief in law Fedya Besheny, was shot dead in an office on Dimitrova Street in Moscow. A year later, a killer, now well-known to everyone, cut short the life of his brother, chairman of the Lev Yashin Athletes Fund, Otari, near the Krasnopresnensky Baths. Then even Russian President Boris Yeltsin sent condolences to the family of the deceased. It is not surprising that Otari’s funeral was attended by a huge crowd of people.

People such as Joseph Kobzon, Archil Gomiashvili, Ivan Yarygin and others came to honor his memory. The brothers were buried at the prestigious and long-closed Vagankovskoe cemetery. Their grave at the main entrance has long become a landmark of the churchyard. A huge angel with a mournful face reaches out to two granite tablets on which the names of the brothers are inscribed. For the uninformed, it is worth noting that the monument is not just a hack job by an unknown master, but a work belonging to the chisel of the famous sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. Among his works is a monument to Cyril and Methodius, Marshal Zhukov, Ivan Bunin, Dmitry Donskoy and other celebrities.

The Vagankovsky churchyard became the last refuge for the authority - the head of the most powerful organized crime group in Ryazan, Viktor Airapetov. On November 19, 1995, on Rublevskoye Highway, Airapetov’s car was stopped by fake riot police and taken away by mafiosi in an unknown direction.

His charred corpse was later identified by his wife. Although experts insist that it was a staged act, the black granite obelisk with a massive fence claims that this is where the leader of the criminal Ryazan is buried. However, there are rumors that already in the 2000s, Vitya came here in person and even laid flowers at his monument.

Khovanskoye Cemetery - authorities

Another pillar of organized crime in the 90s can be considered the founder of the Orekhovskaya organized crime group, nicknamed Sylvester. Officially, he died on September 13, 1994 as a result of the explosion of a Mercedes Benz 600SEC from a radio-controlled land mine. Sylvester was buried at the Khovanskoye cemetery in Moscow, traditional for the Orekhovskys. His black marble monument is made in the form of a huge bas-relief of the crucified Christ. Above is a photo of Timofeev and an Orthodox cross.

Grave of Timofeev Sergei - Sylvester

On the reverse side is an image of the Virgin Mary, and below is the epitaph: “Hurry up to admire man, for you will miss the joy...”. Compared to the monuments of deceased colleagues, Sylvester’s tombstone is quite modest. It is possible that the grave contains the remains of another person who was burned almost to ashes in the explosion. After all, no one carried out DNA testing in those years.

There, on Khovansky, there is the grave of the right hand of Sylvester, the founder - Grigory Gusyatinsky. Once a KGB officer, he became one of the prominent authorities in Moscow and did not disdain the bloodiest work. In January 1995, in Kyiv, Gusyatinsky was liquidated by the same Alexey Sherstobitov, better known in criminal circles under the nickname Lesha Soldier. The obelisk of Gusyatinsky is a black marble stele on which the sculptor carved the face of the deceased. There you can also see a woman’s hand reaching out to her face, bowed in grief.

In addition to Timofev and Gusyatinsky, on the “alley of heroes” of the Khovanskoye cemetery lie several dozen more brothers from the “Orekhovsky” and allied groups. Their graves are easy to distinguish by their black marble, pretentious inscriptions and photographs of the deceased.

In addition to the gang from the 90s, the last pillar of crime, thief in law No. 1 Aslan Usoyan, nicknamed , is also buried on Khovanskoye. He managed to build the most extensive criminal empire. But not all thieves recognized Hassan as the leader. On January 16, 2013, another attempt was made on his life, which ended in the death of the authority. Relatives wanted to bury Usoyan in Tbilisi, but the Georgian authorities refused to accept the plane with his body. As a result, the thief was buried on Khovanskoye.

A permanent monument to authority appeared on the grave only a year and a half after the funeral. It consists of two black marble steles with epitaphs and years of life, between which stands a sculpture of Usoyan. The monument was made by the talented sculptor Aram Grigoryan, who created monuments to the first cartographer of Siberia Remizov and academician Marchuk.

The monument to another iconic thief, . Ivankov missed the dashing 90s, hanging out. But when he returned to his homeland in 2005, he began to actively interfere in the course of the thieves’ processes. Speaking on the side of Aslan Usoyan, Yaponchik still remained an independent and strong figure. Therefore, it did not suit many people. As a result, on July 28, 2009, while leaving the restaurant, Ivankov was wounded by a sniper, and on October 9, 2009, he died.

The authority was buried in front of a huge crowd of people at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. Despite the fact that times were already different, Ivankov’s mother was buried in the cemetery and he had the right to be buried next to her. The monument to the deceased also did not appear at the grave immediately. Nevertheless, he makes passers-by pay attention to him. Against the background of a three-meter block with a cross, an intelligent-looking man sits and looks into the distance. Local old-timers take people to the thief’s grave for a small fee. Provincial mafiosi often come here. There are always fresh flowers in a vase on the stove, and Ivankov likes to leave a glass of vodka in his hand. Others place a banknote under his leg. They say it's for good luck.

Bandit Cemetery of Yekaterinburg

It is worth noting that the province is not inferior to the capital in the pomp of thieves’ and bandits’ obelisks. In Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals, many authoritative people died in the 90s. The main ones are the founders, the famous and their protege. Now these people lie in the Northern Cemetery of the city. The first to be shot in 1991 was the founder of the organized crime group Grigory Tsyganov, then in 1993 the Uralmash authority Sergei Ivannikov died. And in 2005, the leader of the group, Alexander Khabarov, was found hanged in a jail cell.

All three authorities are buried nearby, on the central alley of the churchyard. Their monuments are made in the style of busts of party leaders buried near the Kremlin wall. The people nicknamed this place “three heads,” although today’s youth no longer know who these people are.

Banykinskoe cemetery - bandits

Another famous bandit graveyard is the Banykinskoye cemetery in Tolyatti. In the mid-90s, a real one unfolded in the motor city. Bandits died here by the dozens a day, and the cemetery gates were almost never closed. The lads were buried depending on their rank. Thus, the central alley of the churchyard is occupied by the graves of the leaders and foremen of numerous organized crime groups: the Bukreev brothers.

The Banykinskoe cemetery amazes not so much with the pathos of the obelisks, but with the mass of burials. By the way, among these fallen gangsters you can hardly find those who lived to see
thirty. At the moment, the Togliatti authorities are thinking about organizing a tourist route to the Banykinskoye cemetery under the sign “Tolyatti - Russian Chicago.” However, similar burials can be found in the cemetery of any major city in Russia, because the dashing 90s left unhealed wounds on the body of the entire country.