One of the leaders, Valery Ledovskikh, nicknamed Baboon, was a co-founder of the organization and effectively its number two man. He was known for extreme brutality and a willingness to act fast.
He is currently under arrest on charges including banditry, intentional murder, and extortion. His downfall became one more sign that the era of raw muscle was coming to an end.
Nikolai Gabrilenkov, known as Stepanych, was considered exceptionally cautious and smart. He preferred to stay in the shadows and avoid drawing attention to himself.
For a time, he operated independently and ran his own separate crew. People said Kumarin treated Stepanych as an equal and respected him deeply.
In 1994, at a major underworld meeting, he received a monopoly over joint ventures involving a neighboring country. Gabrilenkov had no use for traditional crime bosses.
He viewed them as freeloaders and flatly refused to contribute to their shared funds. After the arrest of the main leader, he worked even harder to stay out of sight.
He avoided gang meetings whenever he could, and when he did show up, the brim of his cap always hid his face. He explained the habit as a personal insecurity about his appearance.
It turned out to be a smart move. Later, when investigators questioned arrested gang members about those meetings, they kept hearing about a strange man in a cap.
Witnesses said they recognized plenty of people there, but not that one. He always sat with his face hidden, and for a long time his identity remained a mystery.
Gabrilenkov was killed by a hitman in 1995. His death was one of many in a long chain of internal and external conflicts.
Alexander Kuryakov, nicknamed Moose, was a former military officer who specialized in underwater sabotage. He met the leader while in prison and later formed his own group.
The core of his crew consisted of men he had served time with. His outfit was divided into three units, each with clearly defined responsibilities.,.
