One unit handled reconnaissance, another communications, and the third acquired equipment. The group began by extorting money from small traders.
By 1994, they had expanded into robberies and contract killings. Members of the crew lived underground for long stretches, constantly hiding from law enforcement.
This small but dangerous gang kept the whole city on edge for years. Konstantin Yakovlev, nicknamed Grave, was another major figure in that world.
During his military service, he was assigned to a sports unit and was a serious contender for master-level status in wrestling. Afterward, he became known for transporting large sums of cash for underground manufacturers.
He moved the equivalent of $600,000 to $700,000 from city to city. At the time, that was an enormous risk, especially considering a new car cost less than $10,000.
Before long, Grave joined the main organization. In criminal circles, he was considered a serious man, not someone you picked a fight with over nothing.
People in the city quickly began to take him seriously, since he had known many underworld figures from a young age. It was also said that he had a warm relationship with one of the most respected bosses, known as Ded Hasan.
In the mid-1990s, he was repeatedly offered one of the highest ranks in the underworld hierarchy. Each time, he declined diplomatically without insulting the men making the offer.
In 2003, he was killed in Moscow. Nikolai Alekseyev, nicknamed Long, led a mobile crew from another region.
It was an especially brazen team that always arrived at meetings heavily armed. More often than not, anyone facing them came away with serious losses…
