Later, Kumarin himself admitted that people started flocking to the organization after those TV segments aired. Nevzorov kept putting out report after report about the gang’s brutal activities.
For the gang, it worked like free promotion, and volunteers started looking for ways to join up. In time, Alexander Nevzorov became a member of parliament, and Kumarin became one of his aides.
What set the group apart from others was its strict discipline and its speed in handling problems. Even in those early years, the organization had surveillance teams and technical monitoring systems.
The boss’s headquarters were located in a well-known hotel on Pobedy Street. From there, he could gather as many as 300 trained enforcers on short notice.
The gang maintained a common fund, and everyone involved was required to pay in on a fixed schedule. Major city hotels served as regular meeting places for members.
The organization was divided into crews, each handling a specific criminal line of work. They started with racketeering and “protecting” street gamblers.
At first, the people paying for that protection were small shops, cafés, and bars. Later, after building up strength and confidence, the group moved on to bigger targets.
Large commercial businesses became the focus of their pressure campaigns. And in many cases, the gang simply ignored the fact that those businesses already had protection from someone else.
They were especially irritated by old-school crime bosses, since the group refused to accept anyone else calling the shots. They preferred to operate on their own terms, and with force…
