Vladimir Kumarin is generally considered the founder of the organization. He came from the Tambov region, which is how the group got its name.
In 1976, after military service, Kumarin arrived in the city and enrolled in a technical college. He did not stay long, however, and was soon expelled.
After that, he found work as a bartender in a local restaurant. Big changes were coming, and the old system was beginning to crack.
The shadow economy was booming. Underground workshops in the city were turning out clothes, shoes, and other hard-to-find goods.
For the people running them, the money was enormous. Working in the restaurant, Kumarin watched those black-market operators live well, and he wanted in.
At some point, he realized there was money to be made from them too, and a lot of it. He came up with a plan to build a crew that would shake down wealthy underground businessmen.
Before long, he had assembled a sizable gang made up of all kinds of people. It included hardened repeat offenders, athletes, and even former law enforcement officers.
In a way, the group gained wider notoriety thanks to reports by journalist Alexander Nevzorov. His program aired on local television and drew huge audiences.
The whole city watched those crime reports; they were some of the highest-rated broadcasts around. Stories about the gang gave them publicity whether anyone meant to or not…
