Members of the criminal community of criminal authority Yuri Pichugin announced the verdicts in Komi. 16 defendants received from several years in prison to life, the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reports on June 15.
Depending on the roles and degree of participation, the defendants were found guilty on the basis of a jury verdict of several grave and especially grave crimes committed in Komi and the Arkhangelsk region. We are talking about the organization of a criminal community and participation in it (Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); creation of a stable armed group (gang) and participation in it (Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); commission of five murders by an organized group, associated with banditry, attempted murder (Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); kidnapping committed by an organized group (Article 126 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); illegal circulation of weapons, explosives or explosive devices committed as part of an organized group (Article 222,222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); extortion committed as part of an organized group (Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation); fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and other crimes.
Pichugin created the group in 1992-1994. At first, she “protected” entrepreneurs, collecting money for the general cash desk, and also received funds from persons serving sentences in correctional institutions or in pre-trial detention centers. It is emphasized that this money appeared “from crimes against property.”
Kommersant.Ru, 06/15/2023, “The largest organized criminal group in the Komi was sentenced”: […] Yuri Pichugin recruited sportsmen and former servicemen from the special forces of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies into the group. The qualifying features of the organized criminal group were the uniform norms of behavior for all members, the distribution of roles in accordance with the hierarchy, a unified system of punishments for failure to fulfill orders, as well as security and secrecy rules common to all. […] Khadis Azizov also developed schemes for economic crimes, and Viktor Karpov – schemes for theft of natural resources. Oktay Efendiev, Akhmed Isaev and Maxim Abubakarov ensured the safety of the members of the organization, including protection from competitors. Efendiev and Isaev were also responsible for the weapons caches (they were discovered during searches). Sergei Soldatov carried out separate assignments and supported his “colleagues” in places of deprivation of liberty. In 2003-2006, the accumulated funds of the organized criminal group invested in legal business, opening enterprises in the areas of public catering, leisure, passenger transportation, and logging. […] Three members of the organized criminal group pleaded guilty and entered into pre-trial cooperation agreements. — Inset K.ru
In the late 90s, the community grew stronger, acquired a hierarchy and a system of conspiracy and protection from law enforcement agencies. The criminals had a solid arsenal of weapons and ammunition, including pistols, a submachine gun and machine guns. In May 2005, they shot a “colleague” who wanted to leave the community, and a few months later, a repeatedly convicted man who testified against the community.
In 2010, criminals kidnapped and killed one of the community members, against whom one of the leaders had serious claims. He was taken with his hands tied to a production base in a village near Syktyvkar, held there and killed with an ax blow to the head. The body was thrown into a dug hole, where a fire was lit, doused with flammable liquid and burned. In September 2012, “during the division of spheres of influence” of criminal gangs in Kotlas, one of the criminal authorities of the Arkhangelsk region, who was in the car, was shot dead.
It was difficult to investigate the case due to the remoteness of the events, the “non-obviousness” of the conditions for the commission of crimes and the large volume of investigative and procedural actions – in 20 subjects of the Russian Federation.
The UK also notes that the collection of evidence was hindered by the “huge criminal influence” of the community, because of which the procedural persons were reluctant to enter into a dialogue. A pre-trial agreement on cooperation was concluded with three defendants, their cases were taken to a separate proceeding.
Yuri Pichugin and Khadis Azizov received life sentences, the remaining 14 defendants – from 7.5 to 24 years in colonies of general and strict regime. Also, everyone will pay a fine of 500 thousand to 3 million rubles.
The activity of the community was stopped in Komi in 2017, Pichugin and six active participants were detained. One of the defendants was extradited from Thailand, two were transported from prisons to face charges.
IA BNK, 06/15/2023 “Yuri Pichugin sentenced to life imprisonment”: In the Komi Supreme Court on March 27 it became known that the jury did not recognize entrepreneurs Alexei Rokhlin, Georgy Popov, Alexander Yegorov as members of the Pichugin criminal organization. The next day, March 28, the jurors fully acquitted Alexei Rokhlin, who was accused of participating in an organized criminal group (Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and an armed gang (Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and two especially large frauds (Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Alexander Yegorov was also fully acquitted, accused of participating in an organized crime group (Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and an armed gang (Article 209 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), as well as illegal possession of weapons (Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Entrepreneur Georgy Popov was found guilty by the jury of giving a bribe to an operational officer (Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and deserving of leniency. — Inset K.ru
Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee for Komi, 06/15/2023, “Sentence passed in the criminal case of Yuri Pichugin’s criminal community”: By a court verdict, the defendants were sentenced to: Yuri Pichugin – in the form of life imprisonment with serving in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 3 million rubles; Khadis Azizov – in the form of life imprisonment with serving in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 2.5 million rubles; Viktor Karpov – in the form of 18 years of imprisonment in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 2.5 million rubles; Sergei Vanuito – in the form of 16 years of imprisonment in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 2 million rubles; Alexander Kirseev – in the form of 21 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Maxim Abubakarov – in the form of 13 years of imprisonment in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Vyacheslav Guziev – in the form of 13 years in prison with serving in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Oleg Birlov – in the form of 15 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Leonid Ivanov – in the form of 11 years in prison with serving in a strict regime correctional colony; Sergei Nasonov – in the form of 10 years in prison with serving in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 500 thousand rubles; Georgy Popov – in the form of 7 years 6 months of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony; Andrey Sirotkin – in the form of 23 years in prison with serving in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Eduard Smolnikov – in the form of 16 years of imprisonment in a special regime correctional colony with a fine of 1.5 million rubles; Sergei Soldatov – in the form of 14 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Akhmed Isaev – in the form of 11 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1 million rubles; Anatoly Tervonin – in the form of 24 years in prison with serving in a strict regime correctional colony with a fine of 1.5 million rubles. The verdict has not entered into force. — Inset K.ru
