Russian law enforcement bodies have remembered the existence of the influential Solntsevskaya criminal group. There were searches at its headquarters on Leninsky Prospekt. Two its prominent representative - former FSB officer Alexander Nikonov (Nikon), and “authority” Gennady Shapovalov (Shapoval) were called in for questioning. The investigative actions are being conducted upon the application of businessman Vyacheslav Zharov, who also is trying to put in prison the State Duma deputy Alexey Mitrofanov.

The story that caused such passion to flare up began in 2007, when a firm Arctur-Stroy owned by Zharov was involved in construction of a residential complex on Kastanaevskaya street in Moscow. By this time, Zharov had managed to acquire a very bad name in the construction market. It was previously unknown how he had been able to get into the project. In the same 2007, the Arctur-Stroy took for construction of the complex a credit of $ 48 million in Russian Commercial Bank (RBC). The money disappeared, the building on Kastanaevskaya street didn’t appear, and RBC - merged with Gazprombank - demanded from the Zharov’s structure through Arbitration Court the debt repayment with interest for a total of $ 56.4 million.

Zharov in response began to pelt the law-enforcement bodies with his statements. According to his version, the events developed like that. In the mid-2000s, fate brought him to Alexander Nikonov - the right hand of the leader of Solntsevskaya criminal group Sergey Mikhailov (Michas). Nikon and his fighters, threatening with guns, forced Zharov to take the credit in RBC. And the businessman did not see the money for they were divided between Solntsevo gangsters and top managers of the bank. When Zharov decided to apply to the police, Nikonov, according to him, threatened in a telephone call to roll him up in concrete.

The parties fixed a date as it had been in the nineties. Zharov didn’t say in his police statement with whom he had arrived on the date. And Gennady Shapovalov and “several persons of Caucasian appearance, presenting themselves as ‘thieves in law’” were from the Solntsevskaya criminal group. Zharov assured that they had also threatened him at this meeting.

And on the top of it all, representatives of the State Duma deputy Alexey Mitrofanov gained access to Zharov. Let's remind that the latter had long been a prominent figure in the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). The party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, according to the available data, was closely connected with Solntsevskaya criminal group and even was financed by the OPG (organized criminal group) for some time. Andrey Skoch – in the past, a “foreman” of the Solntsevskaya criminal group and now oligarch and MP of the United Russia, began his political career just in the Liberal Democratic Party.

Representatives of Mitrofanov - his deputy assistant Alexander Derevschikov and Radish Sutiev - offered the businessman their help in organizing necessary decisions of arbitration courts on RBC claim. They requested $ 200 000 for their services. On May 12, 2012, at the Renaissance hotel on Olympic Avenue, Zharov was to give the first tranche of 2.3 million rubles.

Deputy Mitrofanov was also at the meeting. Derevschikov and Sutiev were detained by the police when receiving the sum. The parliamentarian was released due to his parliamentary immunity.

And till now the law enforcement agencies haven’t caused inconveniencies to Mitrofanov - he is supported by the Kremlin. But they have got down to Solntsevskaya criminal group. In late December, 15 employees of the Main Directorate for Economic Security and Corruption Prevention at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Federal Tax Service in Moscow raided Solntsevskaya criminal group’s headquarters on Leninsky 101. At the same time, Alexander Nikonov was questioned, and he denied Zharov’s allegations about the threats. According to Rumafia’s data, soon the investigators intend to interrogate Shapovalov as well. And they also want to confront face-to-face Nikonov and Zharov.

A source close to the Solntsevskaya criminal group outlined his version of events: the Zharov’s firm had received profitable construction contracts just due to the entrepreneur Nikonov. But then Zharov decided to change the patrons. A group of law enforcement officers was chosen as a new “roof”. They were those who “stirred up this mess”.

Alexander Nikonov previously served in the KGB-FSB. According to the intelligence agencies, he repeatedly helped Solntsevskaya criminal group to solve problems with the law enforcement bodies, in particular, in August 1995, when RUBOP held Zakat operation against the group. Alexander Nikonov said at the trial of Mikhas (accused of having links to organized crime, laundering illegally obtained funds, and at the same time in violation of the passport and visa regime) in 1997 in Switzerland that Sergey Anatolyevich Mikhailov was a respectable businessman and not the leader of Solntsevskaya criminal group. As a result, Mikhas was fully discharged. The intelligence services believe that recently Nikon is responsible at Mikhailov for all contacts with the law enforcement agencies and oversees most of business projects of the group.

As for Gennady Shapovalov, he together with Mikhailov, Timofeev, Lyustarnov, and brothers Averins stood at the origins of the group. In 1989, he was detained along with gang leaders on charges of extorting money from a number of businessmen, particularly from cooperator Rosenbaum. However, the case against Shapoval disappeared right out of the courthouse, and he did not get a penal. Rosenbaum was to act in a Swiss court for the prosecution, but shortly before the session had been shot. According to the intelligence services, now Shapovalov, as well as Averins, continues to work in the style of the 1990s – with a gun and a baseball bat.

REFERENCE Rumafia.com

In 1992, at a meeting of the “youth wing” of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mitrofanov attempted to create the National Radical Party, which was to head a writer and politician Eduard Limonov, but that did not happen (some media called Mitrofanov a founder of the National Bolshevik Party of Limonov).

Source: Chas, October 5, 2005

 

In 1994, in parallel with work for the Liberal Democratic Party, Alexey Mitrofanov was trying to create a deputy group of National Capital headed by President of MMM Sergey Mavrodi. But Mitrofanov was unable to find a sufficient number of deputies for the group.

Source: Russky focus, November 11, 2003

 

At the end of the last century, a former Kremlin “healer” Juna declared herself to be one day the Assyrian queen, another day - the great-granddaughter of Nicholas II, or - a direct descendant of the Princess Olga. And she generously bestowed patents of nobility. And very serious people gratefully accepted them. Thus, the former chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR Nikolay Baibakov became a prince and senator Lyudmila Narusova – a princess. Deputy Alexey Mitrofanov is also proud of the Juna’s gift – he “has become” a count. He hung the diploma on the wall in his country house and now receives dividends. “Here girls come to me”, Mitrofanov explained benefits of the title. “They see the diploma and get shocked. After all, now they see that they communicate not with any member of the Liberal Democratic Party but even with a count”.

Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda, November 24, 2005

 

In 1999, Mitrofanov was nominated as an independent candidate for the post of the Mayor of Moscow. Andrey Brezhnev, the grandson of General Secretary of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev and Mitrofanov’s friend, was nominated as Deputy Mayor. Mitrofanov got less than 1 percent of votes at the elections.

Source: Vechernyaya Moskva, September 24, 2003

 

In 2002, the deputy made a draft law prohibiting government officials going in for many kinds of sports. “We cannot afford to let our president and other senior officials were injured”, he said.

Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda, June 1, 2002

 

Mitrofanov – a maker of films about politicians: Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Lavrenty Beria, Andrey Gromyko, Yury Andropov and the psychic Anatoly Kashpirovsky. The scandalous pornofilm Julia, produced by Mitrofanov and for which he later apologized to Yulia Tymoshenko, has also received wide popularity.

Source: RIA Novosti, April 12, 2006

 

The leader of LDPR Vladimir Zhirinovsky called reasons of the sensational expulsion of Alexey Mitrofanov from the party. The main reason was financial. “Before the last election, he wrote a note, in which he undertook to provide financial assistance to the Liberal Democratic Party in the amount of 2 million euros. Finally he was held to the Duma, but he didn’t want to pay the money. He asked about the delay several times, but when he was told that the deadline came, he just ran to Mironov. It may be that he kept the money, but he lost the honor”, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party said.

Source: Novy Region, September 5, 2007

 

According to the media, A Just Russia included Alexey Mitrofanov in its federal list, planning in this way to attract voters of non-traditional sexual orientation. It is known that Mitrofanov was the only member of the State Duma, who actively and publicly supported holding a gay parade in Moscow.

Source: Yoki.ru, October 10, 2007

 

On May 8, 2012, Mitrofanov was among the five members of A Just Russia parliamentary faction, who voted for the approval of Dmitry Medvedev the Prime-Minister of Russia – it was despite the decision of the faction to vote against it. After that, on May 14, Mitrofanov was dismissed from participation in the faction, and on May 17 he was expelled from the party.

Source: ITAR-TASS, May 17, 2012

 

In 2012, the law enforcement authorities of Moscow began investigating a criminal case, in which the name of the member of the Russian State Duma Alexey Mitrofanov appeared.

Mitrofanov was a rather important figure in the fraudulent scheme, the purpose of which was to receive $ 200 thousand from Moscow businessman Vyacheslav Zharov. In particular, the investigation has a video of how the deputy came to an agreement with a businessman to help him to solve an issue in the Court of Arbitration for a large sum of money. That was nothing but participation in a criminal offense.

Source: Izvestia, May 24, 2012

 

Vyacheslav Zharov said that he seriously fears for lives and health of his relatives. According to him, after he sent a letter to the president complaining about mysterious disappearance of the deputy Mitrofanov from being involved in the case of fraud, accomplices of the politician is going hunting for his family.

Source: LifeNews, August 29, 2012

 

REFERENCE 2 Rumafia.com

Sergey Mikhailov was mentioned for the first time in serious mass-media in 1991 in connection with murder of Valery Vlasov –director of a casino "Valery". Mihas was arrested on suspicion of commission of this crime for three days allotted by CPC for indictment and released in the absence of proofs. After that, according to some information, Mihas left to Germany.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 219 (442), 11/13/1993

 

A bit later journalists remembered Mikhailov in connection with murder of one of the criminal leaders Sergey Timofeev (Sylvester) which was regarded as a feign. In September, 1994 in the center of Moscow Mercedes-600 was blown up. In the salon of the car which burnt down after explosion the disfigured corpse was found. In some days detectives of Moscow criminal investigation department declared that a well-known criminal authority, the leader of Orekhovskaya group Sylvester was killed. A body was solemnly buried at Khovansky cemetery. Later police officers said they saw a person similar to Sylvester at the crime place. He kind of looked at policemen and smiled.

In this connection it was written that Mikhailov and Timofeev started cooperating in 1989 when "Slavic" groups faced conflicts with the Chechen groups. Orekhov group headed by Timofeev cooperated with gangsters of “Solntsevo” and “Lenin” groups. “Solntsevo” was supervised by the former waiter of restaurant "Crystal" Sergey Mikhailov (nickname Mihas) and "Lenin group" - by the native from “Solntsevo” team, the former fireman Boris Antonov (nickname Borya-Anton). In one of showdowns with the Chechens at restaurant "Havana" Borya lost an eye. After that Antonov obtained a new nickname — the Cyclops. Later their relations were damaged.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 34 (752), 2/24/1995

 

Next time Mikhailov became interesting for the press in connection with scandalous criminal case when lawyer Dmitry Yakubovsky was accused of theft of manuscripts from the Russian national library. The sources close to FSB informed that Yakubovsky was the authorized representative of the leader Sergey Mikhailov. As one of documentary proof of this fact was called the contract according to which Mihas conceded to Yakubovsky the right to dispose of all his property in Russia. And three weeks before his arrest Yakubovsky illegally got into the apartment of Mihas sealed up by the State Office of Public Prosecutor where there was a property arrested by an investigation.

In this connection it was informed that inspectors found and withheld two certificates from Mikhailov. One gave him right of unobstructed pass to Presidential Administration of Russia (as to the employee). The second certificate testified that he is the journalist of company CNN.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 100 (818), 6/1/1995

 

In the end of 1995 journalists mentioned Mikhailov in connection with official visit of delegation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Austria to Russia. The arrangement on intensive information interchange about "new Russians" coming to Austria for a constant residence was reached as a result. According to the data of the MIA of that time Austria was especially popular within the largest in Moscow and area Solntsevo criminal group supervised by “godfathers" Sergey Mikhailov (Mihas) and Victor Averin (Avera). In the center of Vienna Solntsevo group got some magnificent private residences and opened its office in one of them. Besides, recently the citizens of Russia connected with criminal environment opened commercial structures in Austria which were obviously used for laundering money stolen in the homeland. Struggle for the control over those structures more often led to gangster showdowns.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 190 (908), 10/13/1995

 

Later journalists found out that Mikhailov was the honorary consul of Costa Rica. They learnt from the message of official sources that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica dismissed Mikhailov from a post of the honorary consul of this country in Moscow. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica the reason for his dismissal from honorary consuls was the article in "Izvestia" where it was reported with the reference to FSB that in Russia he supervised over a brigade which was engaged in racket and wheedling debts out. Mikhailov’s lawyer who was invited in “Kommersant” office named the article in "Izvestia" as "bullshit".

The foreign policy department of Costa Rica declared that they made investigation, and by its results Mikhailov was dismissed from a post of the honorary consul. However investigation proceeded: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs checked reliability of the data which appeared in a press that Mikhailov bought a diplomatic passport of Costa Rica for $95 thousand.

Appointment of Mikhailov (in 1995 living in Austria) as the honorary consul of Costa Rica in Moscow took place in February, 1994. As it was found out, Sergey Mikhailov was appointed to this post under the recommendation of two well-known politicians of Costa Rica — the former deputy minister of foreign affairs Carlos Rivera Biancini and the chairman of party in power National clearing Rolando Araja Monhe. Biancini asserts that he became a victim of trustfulness as the nominee of Mikhailov was offered to him by one of authoritative lawyer offices in Israel connected with him by business needs. The Israeli lawyers, the former deputy minister said, presented the Russian as "the succeeding businessman showing interest to Central American region".

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 214 (932), 11/18/1995

 

Throughout this story journalists continued to investigate foreign commercial interests of Mikhailov. They wrote, in particular, that he headed company MAB International in Belgium and also became the councilor of directors of company Karta auto brokers Inc. (Houston, the USA).

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 240 (958) from 12/27/1995

 

Next time Mikhailov was mentioned in connection with drugs traffic through Russia and Europe. In particular journalists wrote that after the thief in the law Vyacheslav Ivankov (Jap) moved to the USA he agreed there about the drugs traffic with representatives of Cosa Nostra. Negotiations took place in Vienna. The Russian organized crime was presented by Jap, authorities of Solntsevo group Mihas and Avera and also people from Krasnoyarsk criminal group. Italians were presented by heads of several families. Colombian drug dealers from Medelian cartel of Eskobar interested in the extensive Russian market mediated the negotiations. The negotiations were listened and recorded by the officers of the Interpol. After long debate the agreement was signed: Russians were to import cocaine, heroin and some kinds of synthetic drugs, and export vegetative raw materials. Thus they should have paid to Italians a few million dollars weekly.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 137 (1095), 8/23/1996

 

In the autumn of 1996 Mikhailov was detained by police of Geneva on suspicion of affiliation to the organized criminal group, law violation on real estate tenancy in Switzerland and rules of stay of foreigners within the territory of this country.

Recently before detention Sergey Mikhailov, his wife Ludmila, their daughters Alexandra and Veronica lived in a private residence in small town Boreks of the Swiss Vaud canton. Mihas seldom appeared in public and diligently avoided any contacts to police. Mihas went for rare meetings with business partners by blue "Rolls-Royce" with the Belgian numbers which was registered in Antwerp for company MAB International (this firm belonged to Mikhailov).

Mikhailov’s caution was caused by the fact that he was wanted for a the long time by the police of the USA, Belgium and Israel. The Belgian police suspected him of the organizing an international network of prostitution and large-scale drug traffic in the Western Europe. As for the USA, according to FBI information Mikhailov and his partner Victor Averin (in Russia he is known as Avera-senior) managed the firm in New York which was supervised by Vyacheslav Ivankov (Jap). FBI found out this firm while investigating Jap’s activity. Studying the transactions concluded between companies of Ivankov and Mikhailov FBI discovered the facts of laundering large sums of money of criminal origin.

According to FBI controlling interests of several Moscow hotels had been got for the laundered money. Besides, Mikhailov and Ivankov invested the large sums to one night club in the capital and also to development of a prostitution network in Hungary and Czech Republic. This part of "investment program" was carried out by criminal authority Simeon Mogilevich.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 181 (1139), 10/24/1996

 

In January, 1997 it was written in newspapers that the general public prosecutor of Russia Jury Skuratov agreed with the Swiss colleagues that the Swiss banks would give out the information about bank accounts in Switzerland belonging to citizens of Russia by inquiries of Office of Public Prosecutor. Accounts of Sergey Mikhailov well-known also under a nickname of Mihas was supposed to become the first Swiss account which could be accessed by the Russian public prosecutors.

In 1994 the Swiss authorities made the list of 300 natives of Russia whom they suspected of close connections with Russian mafia. Having informed in advance Swiss banks in which those 300 persons opened the accounts the Office of Public Prosecutor of Switzerland demanded from these people to transfer money from the Swiss banks. In Switzerland during ultimatum action branch of ONEXIMBANK "for service of the Russian clients" was opened in right time. According to the Swiss authorities, means from the Swiss "Russian" accounts had been transferred there. Swiss sighed with relief.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 1 (1183), 1/31/1997

 

The following reason for mentioning Mikhailov in the press appeared in connection with the information that Solntsevo criminal group organized murder of the chief of Moscow branch of Regional Administration of a Fight against Organized Crime Nikolay Uporov — the main witness on Sergey Mikhailov's case which was considered in the Geneva court. According to Uporov, it was made as revenge for his evidences in court.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 115 (1297), 7/22/1997

 

In a few days later journalists started talking about Mikhailov again in connection with murder of the head of joint venture "Tirol" 34-year-old Vadim Rosenbaum in the Dutch city Oirschot. In Russia he was known as one of the most successful businessmen of the first wave to whom leaders of underworld and police showed constant interest. According to journalists, Rosenbaum was supposed to appear in the Swiss court as the witness in the case of Mihas.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 122 (1304), 7/31/1997

 

In August, 1997 representatives of investigating bodies of Switzerland engaged in case of Solntsevsky authority Sergey Mikhailov (Mihas) applied for assistance to the Israeli colleagues. According to the Swiss evidences of Grigory Lerner arrested in Israel in May of this year evidences can essentially help to investigation. It is necessary to notice external similarity between Mikhailov’s case in Switzerland and Lerner’s case in Israel. Both Mihas and Lerner became victims of struggle against "Russian mafia" begun by police of the different countries (in same list there is a thief in the law Jap condemned in the USA and "authority" Jury Yesin (Dump truck) arrested in Italy). Both were suspected of serious crimes. If Lerner is incriminated financial frauds for millions dollars and payoff of officials as the head of the First Russian-Israeli financial company, then Mihas was incriminated management of the largest criminal group of Russia. It was uneasy to prove those charges in court both in Israel in Switzerland.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 143 (1325), 8/29/1997

 

It is curious that on process in Switzerland the former Minister of Justice of the USA Reims Clark stood up for Mikhailov. The former Minister of Justice of the USA as it was found out from his own explanations did it absolutely disinterestedly (moreover, this trip cost him $1,5 thousand) for the only purpose to convict the disgraceful agent of FBI Robert Levinson who was the witness of charge against Mikhailov in Geneva court.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 15 (1418), 1/31/1998

 

In December, 1998 the most scandal lawsuit of the year came to the end with Sergey Mikhailov's justification on the main points of charge and deportation home. Since the past Saturday Mihas is in Moscow. The show trail over the Russian mafia arranged by the Swiss authorities failed.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 233 (1636, 12/15/1998

 

It is interesting that next time Mikhailov came into the view of mass-media in connection with traditional interest of journalists to Anatoly Chubays. In particular it was found out that there was a direct connection between the Russian power monopoly of the RAO UES and the firm which appeared in the center of scandal concerning "Russian" accounts in Bank of New York. It was referred to the firm "Arbat International" founded in the British offshore zone in La Manche by businessman Simeon Mogilevich.

"Arbat" actually belonged at that time to Sergey Mikhailov (Mihas) and also to one of his assistants Victor Averin living in Budapest. "Arbat" owns 20 % of shares of the Moscow Timbre-bank and 30 % of shares of this bank belong to the RAO UES; moreover, the RAO UES carries out currency payments through the Timbre-bank. That is Chubays, Mogilevich and Mihas are affiliated persons.

As press-service of the RAO UES informed the firm "Arbat International" was deduced from founders of Timbre-bank already in 1996, i.e. long time before Chubays came to the RAO UES. Not currency transactions but only salary payments are made through Timbre-bank (some employees of the Russian Open Society have cards of Timbre-bank) — of course, in rubles. At last, the RAO UES owns today only 2,94 % of shares of bank.. That affiliation has not been found out. However, this comment of the RAO UES looked not very convincingly.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 161 (1805), 9/7/1999

 

In 1999 Sergey Mikhailov decided to become the deputy of the State Duma. He was registered under # 16 of federal pre-election lists of LDPR.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 172 (1816), 9/22/1999

 

However, check of applicants for the deputy mandate arranged by Central Electoral Commission gave the first results. The federal list of LDPR was removed from registration.

Source: Magazine "Kommersant" # 42 (343), 10/26/1999

 

However, quickly having seen that it’s not possible for him to pass under federal lists Mikhailov as well as some other applicants tried to be registered on one-mandatory districts.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 198 (1842), 10/28/1999

 

Eventually Mikhailov became the candidate, but he didn’t manage to become a deputy.

Source: "Interfax", December 2009

 

In 2000 the Swiss court satisfied the claim of Mikhailov regarding recovery of $530 thousand missed benefit for two-year stay in the Swiss prison from the authorities of Geneva. Mikhailov was accused of participation in Solntsevo criminal group, however in the end of 1998 he was justified by court of Switzerland.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 134 (2019), 7/25/2000

 

In the beginning of 2001 Mikhailov expressed himself in protection of the former high-ranking Kremlin official Pavel Borodin arrested in the USA. Mr. Mikhailov was presented to the journalists gathered in the press center of the newspaper "World of news" as "outstanding Russian businessman". He began from a far — with history of feudal dissociation: "Russia then was on a losing side all the time. And when it got united it started winning". But probably it was the epigraph to a meeting because then without any visible link to aforesaid Mr. Mikhailov declared that the “situation with Pavel Pavlovich Borodin was clear to him as to nobody else”.

Source: Newspaper "Kommersant" # 10 (2140), 1/23/2001

 

In June, 2002 in Mikhailov’s house in Moscow the search within the investigation of the criminal case about extortion and abduction of the person by Office of Public Prosecutor of Naro Fominsk was made.

Source: "Kommersant", 6/24/2002

 

And in the beginning 2010 journalists became interested with Mikhailov in connection with Ukraine scandal. The vice-president of Security service of Ukraine Vasily Krutov confirmed the information about preparation of attempt at the prime minister Yulia Timoshenko. Mr. Boiko declared that behind the attempt organization there could be structures which were not interested in change of owners of Nikopol factory of ferroalloys.

According to journalists, representatives of foreign special services had data that behind the attempt organization there could be structures to which change of owners of Nikopol factory of ferroalloys (NFF) was not profitable, and also the criminal group of Sergey Mikhailov known as Mihas. However, they did not specify the reasons for which Timoshenko's death could be favorable for Mikhailov.

Source: "Kommersant-Ukraine" # 48, 3/19/2010