While the criminal world, including the Slavic one, stubbornly ignores the facts pointing to the connection between the murderers of Yaponchik and the thief in law Ilya Simoniya, better known in criminal circles as Maho, the Investigative Committee of Russia continues to unravel this high-profile crime, identifying customers.
According to the source, the investigation is developing Georgian thieves in law Tariel Oniani and Merab Dzhangveladze as the main suspects, who, it is believed, had both a motive and a paid “reward” to the organizer.
Thief in law Merab Dzhangveladze – Merab Sukhumi
It should be recalled that the “king of the Russian mafia”, as journalists dubbed Yaponchik, was killed with particular cruelty, suggesting personal scores. As it turned out later, the killer, who had combat experience in South Ossetia, used a standard 7N1 cartridge weighing 13 grams, making a cruciform cut on the bullet to inflict suffering on the victim. Having hit the body, the bullet opened like a flower, forming 4 petals and inflicting wounds incompatible with life. In addition, the center of gravity of a bullet treated with a file shifts and when it enters the body, it changes its trajectory and, as if in a spiral, passes through the entire body, damaging tissues and bones. Experts found that the diameter of the inlet was 8.5 millimeters, and the outlet was 17.7 by 9.5 centimeters. A bullet with a displaced center of gravity passed through Ivankov’s body for more than 16 centimeters.
Vyacheslav Ivankov was mortally wounded on July 28, 2009 and died of complications only on October 9.
Guilty verdict to the murderers of Yaponchik
In December last year, on the basis of irrefutable evidence, the jury of the Moscow City Court delivered a guilty verdict to the murderers of Yaponchik. Ilya Simonia, whom the court recognized as the organizer, was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list.
According to our information, Simonia, as the organizer of the murder, was pointed out by his former partner, a drug-addicted burglar thief, who is currently under the witness protection program. Once behind bars for another theft, the woman spoke about the impending murder, and also identified the sniper rifle that Maho kept in their rented apartment on Korovinskoye Highway from a photo. According to her, Maho, who was constantly experiencing financial difficulties, began to receive large sums of money at that time.
The woman’s confession was subsequently confirmed technically by analysis of telephone conversations, as well as geolocation data of the suspects on the day of the assassination.
In addition, testimony against Simonia in exchange for a promise to reduce the term was given by one of the accomplices in the crime – Kakha Gazzaev, who after that tried to commit suicide by opening his veins.
Kakha Gazzaev
The direct shooter – Astamur Butba, who is known in Abkhazia, where he is hiding to this day, as the killer of Yaponchik, could shed light if the thieves, interested in answering their questions, reached him. Contrary to common sense, after the execution of such a high-profile order, it was not removed.
A few days after the assassination attempt on Ivankov, Oniani, who has been in custody since June 10 for kidnapping, was subjected to the notorious run, in which Yaponchik was also included.
It is believed that all the dirty work for Taro was done by Merab, or rather his brother Levan, who, after the performers were detained, left Russia and spent a long time abroad.
As for Simony, who had a mutual hatred with the Japanese since the 80s of the last century, he seemed like an ideal candidate to settle scores. His question, which Simonia had repeatedly raised since 1993, could hardly be resolved positively while Grandfather Hassan and Yaponchik were alive.
Of course, the conflict itself, as a result of which Maho lost his name, was not worth killing Ivankov. Personally, Maho did not gain anything from this. Unless he was promised a crown of thieves for the murder, which he eventually received from Merab at the request of Taro. 10 years later, so that the connection with the murder of the Japanese was not so obvious, of which six Maho spent behind bars for other crimes, waiting until the hype subsided in the wild. It was this motive, according to the TFR, that Simony was guided by when fulfilling the order.
Thief in law Ilya Simonia – Maho
In the recent history of the thieves’ world, there is a similar case when Lotu Guli, in respect of whom there was a similar absentee run, while in prison, removed the entire top of the Azerbaijani thieves’ world that was related to the run. Having been released, Guli, who did not hide his involvement in the murders of his “offenders”, not only did not become an outcast, but gathered a crowd around him and made friends with such luminaries as Otar, Merab and Vazha.
In the case of Oniani, only Khasan and Yaponchik, who headed the list of 36 thieves, were eliminated. And now Tariel is also supported by thieves, many of whom favored Guli.
However, the thieves do not know about the meeting at which the Japanese would have been sentenced, and they buried him as a thief. Consequently, his killers – from performers to customers – do not live in the world. Merab, understanding all the risks, does not aspire to Russia anyway. If Ozmanov cannot be forgiven him, Yaponchik will not be forgiven, and even more so. Therefore, Italy suits him.