One side of the massive stone bears a detailed image of Vasya Brilliant himself, while the other is engraved with the face of Jesus Christ.
It goes without saying that from the moment it appeared, Babushkin’s monumental grave became a kind of pilgrimage site for any self-respecting thief-in-law.
Members of the shadowy criminal world still remember, almost like scripture, the words Vasya Brilliant reportedly spoke shortly before his death.
He said this to a senior law enforcement official who had come to talk with him a few days before the end:
“Don’t pin every unsolved crime on thieves and turn us into convenient scapegoats.” And then he added firmly:
“We carry our own burden under a code we consider clean, cleaner than your whole state-run stable; today you’re pushing us toward the noose, and tomorrow, when we’re gone, that same rope will tighten around your own neck.”
