Lesha soldier how long should he sit? Social networks discovered that the famous killer Lesha the Soldier runs Instagram

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Alexey Lvovich Sherstobitov(born January 31, 1967, Moscow) - killer of the Medvedkovskaya organized crime group and ally of the Orekhovskaya organized crime group. Known as "Lyosha the Soldier". He has 12 proven murders and attempted murders. Got busy literary activity, wrote autobiographical books “Liquidator”, part 1 (2013); “Liquidator”, part 2 (2014), “Skin of the Devil” (2015), “Someone else’s wife” (2016), “Liquidator, full version(2016)".

Biography

Life before the organized crime group

Alexey Sherstobitov was born into the family of a hereditary career officer and dreamed of serving all his life. The family lived in Moscow on Koptevskaya Street, in a house where many military personnel lived, mainly from the Ministry of Defense. Sherstobitov's ancestors served in the Tsar's army. Alexey Sherstobitov’s grandfather, Colonel Alexey Mikhailovich Kitovchev, took part in the battle for the liberation of Sevastopol, for which he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. From an early age, Alexey Sherstobitov knew how to handle weapons; after graduating from school, he entered the Leningrad Higher School of Railway Troops and Military Communications named after M. V. Frunze at the Faculty of Military Communications, which he graduated in 1989. He studied at the same football school together with Alexander Mostov and Oleg Denisov. During his studies, he detained a dangerous criminal, for which he was awarded an order. After military school, he was assigned to the Special Transportation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation on the Moscow Railway, where he worked as an inspector, and then as a senior inspector. At that time, Sherstobitov was fond of power eventing and regularly went to the gym while still in the military. There he met former KGB senior lieutenant Grigory Gusyatinsky (“Grinya”) and Sergei Ananyevsky (“Kultik”), who at that time was the head of the Federation of Powerlifting and Powerlifting and deputy director of the Orekhovskaya OPG of Sergei Timofeev ("Sylvester"). At first, Gusyatinsky instructed Sherstobitov to ensure the security of several trading tents. The senior lieutenant proved himself to be a good organizer, capable of solving (including by force) emerging problems. The leaders of the Medvedkovskaya organized crime group appreciated his abilities and appointed him to a new position - a full-time killer.

Killer career

The first task "Lyosha the Soldier" was an attempt to murder the former deputy chief of the special forces special forces unit, Filin, who subsequently resigned from the police and became a criminal. On May 5, 1993, on Ibragimov Street, Sherstobitov fired at Filin’s car from a “Mukha” grenade launcher. Owl and his friend, who were in the car, were slightly injured and survived, but Sylvester was pleased with the work done. Later, “Lesha the Soldier” killed several more people. Sherstobitov’s most famous crime was the murder of Otari Kvantrishvili on April 5, 1994.

In 1994, Timofeev had a conflict with thief in law Andrei Isaev ("Painting"). Sherstobitov placed a car filled with explosives near Isaev’s house on Osenny Boulevard and, when he came out, pressed the remote control button. Isaev himself was wounded but survived. A little girl died from the explosion.

After the murder of Timofeev on September 13, 1994, Gusyatinsky and Sherstobitov left for Ukraine for safety reasons. After this trip, Sherstobitov, together with the brothers Andrei and Oleg Pylev (“Maloy” and “Sanych”) agreed to liquidate Gusyatinsky. Sherstobitov seriously wounded his boss in Kyiv with a sniper rifle when he approached the window of a rented apartment. Gusyatinsky lay in a coma for several days, after which he was disconnected from life support devices. After this, the Pylevs allowed Sherstobitov to assemble his own team of three people.

In January 1997, Alexander Tarantsev, who headed Russian Gold, had a conflict with the owner of the Dolls club, Joseph Glotser. Sherstobitov, on instructions from the Pylevs, went on reconnaissance to a night establishment located on Krasnaya Presnya Street, where he killed Glotser with a shot to the temple. The next task of his group was surveillance of Solonik, who, after escaping from the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center, lived in Greece. Sherstobitov's people wrote down phone conversation, in which Solonik uttered the phrase “They need to be brought down”. In these words, the Pylev brothers felt a threat to themselves. Alexander Pustovalov (Sasha the Soldier) is considered the killer of Solonik.

In 1998, the Pylyovs had a conflict with the president of the Russian Gold company, Alexander Tarantsev, over the distribution of business income. Sherstobitov followed the businessman for almost four months and realized that he, having very professional security, was practically invulnerable. Sherstobitov built a remote-controlled device with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the VAZ-2104. The car was installed at the exit from the Russian Gold office. Sherstobitov saw Tarantsev coming down the steps on a special display and pressed the remote control button, but the device did not work. The automatic fire rang out only 2 hours later, it killed the guard of “Russian Gold”, and injured two bystanders. Tarantsev survived. He also tried more than once to kill Orenburg thief in law Aliyev Astana, nicknamed "Ali", so, in 2005, Aliyev's motorcade, consisting of 7 cars, was shot on the street. Donguzskaya, but then Aliyev remained alive, Aliyev’s bodyguards worked professionally and saved the life of their authority, after which Sherstobitov was pursued by the gang, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers found him before they did.

Arrest

IN law enforcement agencies Sherstobitov’s existence became known only after the arrest of the Orekhovo-Medvedkovsky leaders in 2003, when Oleg Pylev wrote a statement asking to be released on his own recognizance not to leave with a promise find "Soldier", who committed the murder of Otari Kvantrishvili and Glotser. During interrogations, ordinary militants spoke about a certain “Lesha the Soldier,” but no one knew his last name or what he looked like. Investigators believed that “Lesha the Soldier” was some kind of mythical collective image. Sherstobitov himself was extremely careful: he did not communicate with ordinary bandits, did not participate in their gatherings. He was a master of conspiracy and disguise: when going on business, he always used wigs, fake beards or mustaches. Sherstobitov did not leave fingerprints at the crime scene, there were no witnesses.

In 2005, one of the leaders (convicted).

  • Sergei Vilkov - captain of the Internal Troops (convicted).
  • Personal life

    On June 9, 2016, Sherstobitov got married in a correctional colony in the Lipetsk region, where he is serving his sentence. His wife was a 31-year-old psychiatrist from St. Petersburg. Before the ceremony, the newlyweds staged a photo shoot, for which they dressed in costumes of gangsters from the Prohibition era in the United States; the photographs were posted on social networks, after which they were published in the Russian media. A civil registry office employee arrived at the colony. The registration procedure took place in the room of the deputy head of the educational department of the ITK

    Verdicts of the Moscow City Court

    He was accused of committing 12 murders and attempted murders and more than 10 articles of the Criminal Code related to his activities.

    First trial

    • Jury verdict of February 22, 2008: “Guilty, not worthy of leniency.”
    • The verdict of the Moscow City Court of March 3, 2008 is 13 years of strict regime, judge A. I. Zubarev.

    Second trial

    • Jury verdict dated September 24, 2008 - “Guilty, worthy of leniency”
    • The verdict of the Moscow City Court on September 29, 2008 is 23 years of strict regime. Judge Shtunder P.E.

    The term of the cumulative sentences is 23 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony with retention of rank and awards.

    At the trial, Sherstobitov stated that he fully admitted his guilt, but asked for leniency. In particular, he cited the following arguments in his justification: he refused to blow up 30 members of the Izmailovo group, saved the life of one businesswoman without eliminating her, and, having left the criminal community, was engaged in a peaceful craft - he worked as a plasterer. Sherstobitov often went against the interests of the criminal community and its leaders, refusing and delaying the elimination of persons they disliked: V. Demenkov, G. Sotnikova, A. Polunin, T. Trifonov, including not initiating an explosive device at the Vvedensky cemetery in Moscow , during the celebration of the anniversary of Shukhat’s death there, which is confirmed by the materials of the criminal case (resolution on refusal to initiate a criminal case dated June 25, 2007).

    A source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax about the active investigative work in which the Orekhovsky killers are participating.

    According to him, about a year ago, 41-year-old Alexander Pustovalov was transferred from the colony to the special block of the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center. Alexey Sherstobitov was also brought to Moscow from the colony.

    “Both convicts were transported to the capital to carry out investigative actions, during which new episodes of criminal activity of the Orekhovskys and, in particular, leaders of organized crime groups Sergei “Osi” Butorin and Dmitry “Belk” Belkin, sentenced to life imprisonment,” explained a source in law enforcement agencies.

    According to him, the testimony of Sherstobitov and Pustovalov “could help solve a number of high-profile murders of past years.”

    Based on the results of the investigation, Sergei Butorin will be charged with new murders; he has already been transferred.

    Another Interfax source reported that in order for the defendants to remain in the capital's pre-trial detention center, Moscow courts issued sanctions for their detention. For example, Alexander Pustovalov’s arrest was extended until July 18, 2015.

    As TASS reports, investigators were interested in the episode involving the murder of a member of the Bauman criminal group, with which the Orekhovsky gang competed.
    “This episode of the criminal activity of the organized crime group, as far as I know, was taken over by the former regular killer of the Orekhovskaya gang, Alexander Pustovalov,” said the lawyer of one of the former members of the organized crime group, Mikhail Fomin.

    However, according to him, the investigation of the new episode is fraught with a number of objective difficulties. “The body of the crime victim was not found, his name and surname are unknown. And this is how they are trying to investigate it,” he noted.

    Fomin also denied information that Pustovalov and Sherstobitov were going to testify against Belk.

    Let us add that Mikhail Fomin represents the interests of Oleg Pronin, sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of investigator Yuri Kerez. “The defense is now preparing an appeal regarding this episode,” the lawyer noted.

    Sasha Soldier

    According to law enforcement agencies, no later than 1991, Odintsovo resident Dmitry Belkin created a criminal group, the backbone of which was his closest friends - Sergei Filatov (Sportsman), Vladimir Kremenetsky (Pilot), Dashkevich (Golova), Polyakov (Tikhiy). Later they were joined by former special forces soldiers Alexander Pustovalov (Sasha Soldat) and Oleg Pronin (Al Capone).

    Before becoming a bandit, Alexander Pustovalov served in special forces Marine Corps. In civilian life, he tried to get a job in special squad rapid response (SOBR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but he was not taken. One day, in a cafe, Sasha Soldat had a conflict with the Orekhovsky gangster Dmitry Bugakov, nicknamed Pirog. In the fight, Dmitry appreciated the fighting qualities of his opponent and introduced him to his boss, Dmitry Belkin. Since then, Pustovalov began not only to carry out the most important murders for the Orekhovskys, but was also responsible for Belkin’s personal safety. If the boss was away, Sasha Soldat led the militants in the Odintsovo region.
    By the time the gang appeared, most commercial structures in the Odintsovo district were under the control of the Golyanovskaya group. She was in conflict with the Orekhovskaya organized crime group, the leader of which was Sergei Timofeev, nicknamed Sylvester. Belkin and his accomplices joined the Orekhovsky bandits.

    Sylvester had at his disposal teams of “Medvedkovsky” and “Orekhovsky” killers. They reported to Sergei Butorin, nicknamed Osya. The shooting of “Golyanovsk” competitors went on for almost a year, and random passers-by often suffered. So, once Al Capone was sent to the “action”, who put on a wig, false mustache and beard. Together with two accomplices, the killer came to the Odintsovo cafe "Dream", where they opened heavy fire. As a result, not only the rival bandits were killed, but also the policeman and private security company officer guarding the cafe.

    When the Golyanovskys abandoned their claims to the Odintsovo region, they continued to be killed out of revenge. According to operatives, having “cleared” the territory, Belok began making appointments with local businessmen. He spoke to them only once, indicating the amount of tribute. The “authority” did not recognize any “bargaining” or negotiations. If the merchant did not bring the specified amount at the agreed time, he was killed. Gradually, Belkin’s brigade joined the Orekhovskaya group. The united organized crime group has become one of the bloodiest and most powerful in the criminal world.

    In 1994, Sylvester was blown up in the center of Moscow, after which a struggle for leadership began within the Orekhovskaya group. The winners were Osya and Belok, who successively eliminated their competitors - the “authorities” Kultik, Dragon and Vitokha. Next, the Orekhovskys began to exterminate the leaders of other groups. One day, Kaligin, a bandit from the Kuntsevo organized crime group, and his fighters brought several cars to a car repair shop controlled by Belk for repair. The bandits did not like the service, and then they beat up the mechanics. In response, Belkin and Osya immediately gave the order to eliminate the entire top of the Kuntsevo gang.

    Former special forces soldier Sasha Soldat, together with his accomplice Pirog, decided to set up an ambush near a cafe where bandits were gathering. For several days, killers dressed in overalls portrayed road workers drinking vodka while waiting for the necessary materials. And when Kaligin and his retinue arrived at the cafe, the “workers” shot them. After that, Pustovalov left by car, and Bugakov headed to the metro station, where another bandit was waiting for him. In the subway, two policemen decided to check the documents of suspicious men, but Pirog opened fire on them. One policeman was killed and another was seriously injured.

    This was followed by reprisals against the leaders of the “Mazutka” group, with whom Belok and Osya did not share several retail outlets. Also, the Orekhovsky killers eliminated the leaders of the Assyrian group - they were shot in a cafe directly opposite the Moscow City Hall.
    In 1996, Osi and Belk had a conflict with the leader of the “Greek” group, Kulbyakov. For several years he helped the Orekhovskys obtain Greek citizenship, and then took an advance payment of 100 thousand dollars, but did not complete the work and began to hide. One day Osya, relaxing in the capital's Santa Fe restaurant, saw Kulbyakov there. Butorin immediately called Sasha Soldier, who went to watch the victim at the exit of the establishment. When the leader of the “Greek” group got into the car, Pustovalov shot him along with the guards.

    Having dealt with most of their competitors, Osya and Belok began cleaning up their own ranks. Moreover, it was Belkin who was responsible for “counterintelligence.” He organized surveillance of ordinary members of the Orekhovskaya group, wiretapping their phones, and denunciation began to flourish in the organized crime group. Constant search enemies led to the fact that bandits began to kill their own for the slightest suspicion: the reason was accusations of drug use, connections with law enforcement agencies, as well as the desire to leave the organized crime group. Disrespectful statements about the group's leaders were also followed by reprisals.

    To eliminate “our own” Belok developed a whole ritual. Members of the group were gathered in a bathhouse to take a steam bath or in the forest for a picnic. Everyone knew that such a party would end with the death of one of the gang members, but they were afraid to refuse. On the spot, the victim was attacked by colleagues who either strangled her or beat her to death. Then the body was dismembered in front of everyone gathered, and the remains were burned or buried in the forest. To eliminate the unwanted, Belok always chose his closest friends in the organized crime group. “Friends should be killed by friends,” the fanatic cynically declared.

    In 1998, the senior investigator of the 2nd Directorate of the Special Prosecutor's Office of the Odintsovo District, Yuri Kerez, was on the trail of the Belk brigade, who was investigating a number of extortions and murders of businessmen in the closed town of Vlasikha. With the support of MUR employees, he found out that Belkin’s brigade was behind the crimes. For the first time in Russian history a case was initiated under Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of a criminal community). Moreover, Kerezy managed to arrest one of the killers, Sergei Syrov, who began to confess.

    Having learned about this, Belok came to the investigator and offered him one million dollars, demanding that the case be closed and the traitor Syrov handed over to his “brothers.” The honest investigator refused the offer, and then Belkin gave the order to eliminate him. Sasha Soldat again performed a whole performance. For several days, the former special forces soldier lay near one of the garbage dumps in Vlasikha in torn clothes, pretending to be homeless. And on October 21, 1998, the “tramp” suddenly pulled out a pistol and shot the investigator four times in the head.

    Only after the murder of the detective did law enforcement agencies seriously pay attention to Dmitry Belkin. The crime boss had to escape and was put on the wanted list.

    Over the next 13 years, law enforcement agencies in Russia and other countries managed to practically decapitate the Orekhovskaya group. Alexander Pustovalov, Sergei Butorin, Andrei and Oleg Pylev and others were arrested. Belkin was the last major “Orekhovsky authority” who remained at large and was on the international wanted list for more than 10 years.

    One day Belk was tracked down in France, but the operation to capture him failed. The Russian mafioso was detained only on April 30, 2011 in one of the Madrid hotels. At the same time, a false Bulgarian passport was confiscated from Belkin.

    As the RF Investigative Committee emphasized, from August 1995 to October 1998, Belkin and his henchmen committed more than 20 murders in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as several assassination attempts.

    Alexander Pustovalov was captured back in November 1999. In 2005, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for 18 murders and banditry. However, the investigation was unable to prove Pustovalov’s involvement in another 17 murders.

    On October 23, 2014, Dmitry Belkin was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was considered the direct orderer of 14 murders, as well as several attempts on the life of deputy of the Odintsovo Municipal Assembly Sergei Zhurba.

    Lesha Soldier

    In the biographies of Alexey Sherstobitov and Alexander Pustovalov, clear parallels are visible. Both were security officials who later became disillusioned with their careers.

    Alexey Sherstobitov was born into a military family and dreamed of serving all his life. From an early age he knew how to handle weapons, and after graduating from school he entered the military railway school. During his studies, he even detained a dangerous criminal, for which he was awarded an order.

    Then Lesha Soldier served in a unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that provided special supplies. As Sherstobitov said during interrogations, a radical turning point in his life occurred during the days of the 1993 coup. He was returning home when he was beaten by demonstrators, believing that he, as a military man, posed a threat to democracy. Then Lesha the Soldier realized that a man in an army uniform no longer commands respect from his compatriots. Shortly thereafter he retired with the rank of first lieutenant.

    Subsequently, Alexey Sherstobitov, who went through hot spots and was awarded the Order "For Personal Courage", met one of the "authorities" of the Orekhovskys - former KGB officer Grigory Gusyatinsky (Grisha Severny). In 1995, Sherstobitov, on the instructions of the brothers Oleg and Andrei Pylev, who led the group after the murder of Sylvester, himself killed Gusyatinsky.
    The ex-special service officer arranged for Sherstobitov to work for the private security company Soglasie. There, the newcomer met former GRU officers Alexander Cheplygin and Sergei Pogorelov, who were specialists in electronic intelligence and explosives.

    At first, Gusyatinsky instructed Sherstobitov to ensure the security of several trading tents, but then he was offered a new position - a full-time killer.

    Later, the brigade, which included Sherstobitov, was transferred to an illegal position and reported directly to the leader of the Orekhovskys, Andrei Pylev.

    Lesha Soldat was a master of conspiracy and disguise: when going on business, he always used wigs, fake beards or mustaches. Sherstobitov did not leave fingerprints at the crime scene, and there were no witnesses.

    One of Lesha Soldat’s first tasks was to kill the “authoritative” head of the Athletes Social Protection Fund, Otari Kvantrishvili, with a rifle. The businessman was shot dead on April 5, 1994 near Presnensky Baths.

    In 1997, a killer killed the owner of the Dolls nightclub, Joseph Glotser. According to Sherstobitov, the murder occurred spontaneously. He drove up to the club to look around and choose the most convenient place for shooting. I stopped my car on the other side of Krasnaya Presnya Street, opposite the entrance to the club. Suddenly he saw Glotser appear from the door and decided not to waste time, especially since he took a revolver with an optical sight with him “just in case.” Lesha Soldat shot from 47 meters and hit the club owner in the temple.

    On June 22, 1999, he also organized an assassination attempt on the head of the Russian Gold company, Alexander Tarantsev. Sherstobitov decided to kill the businessman with a remote-controlled machine gun as he approached his office.

    The killers borrowed the original method of murder from the film “The Jackal”: they installed optical sight and a portable video camera that transmitted the image to the operator. When Tarantsev's car drove past the Quartet, the homemade electronic system did not work. Half an hour later, the system turned on spontaneously, and the machine gun shot passers-by: as a result of indiscriminate shooting, one person was killed and two more were injured.

    In addition, Lesha Soldat was involved in the murder of Alexander Solonik in Greece, who was called “killer number one” in the press.

    An incident helped to find Sherstobitov - in 2005, a conflict arose between the shareholders of the capital's NPO Physics. From their agents, operatives of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department learned that former members of the Orekhovskaya group, which had already been defeated by that time, were also participating in the conflict. Fearing that the participation of bandits in the dispute would lead to the murders of the co-owners of Physics, detectives made arrests in February 2006. Among those detained was 39-year-old Alexey Sherstobitov, who himself began to testify to the investigation because, according to him, over the past years he had “tired of running” from justice.

    In 2008, Alexey Sherstobitov was sentenced to 23 years in prison for 12 murders and attempted murders. At the same time, it was not possible to prove his involvement in many more similar crimes. It is assumed that Sherstobitov is responsible for dozens of murdered crime bosses and businessmen.

    The killer admitted guilt only partially. During interrogations at the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department, Sherstobitov stated that he did not regret anything, since all his victims were unworthy to live.

    In prison, Sherstobitov writes books and takes on the role of an expert in the field of ability to kill. He believes that after his capture, high-profile murders in Moscow began to be committed by “amateurs and half-educated people.”

    In 2013, Lesha Soldat commented on the murder of the “king of the Russian mafia” Ded Hasan. Then he recalled that he was shot six times. “And out of all the shots, one hit! A wounded woman (if it is not a ricochet) is an unacceptable mistake. They say that they worked from the Val rifle complex. From such a device, from such a distance, the work is ugly,” Sherstobitov said.

    And recently Sherstobitov commented in the same vein on the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. According to the convict, his followers in the killer case chose almost the worst place for the assassination attempt, exposing themselves.

    In addition, out of six bullets from a distance of several meters, only four hit a target “three times larger in size than a target in a standard shooting exercise, which any self-respecting military man or policeman would not shoot,” Moskovsky Komsomolets quoted Sherstobitov as saying. .

    Source - newsru.com

    ("artistic" here is tin - "reflected the purity and sinlessness of the baby" etc. - f.)

    Vova Bakery! - Sherstobitov interrupted. - And how is he?
    The attic is rotten, so what will happen to it. By the way, why Baker?
    When he was young, his mother worked in a bakery. Well, he ran around the area, treating everyone to baked goods.
    So you’re also on the Orekhovo-Medvedkov theme” - I unsuccessfully scrolled in my head the names and faces of the Pylev brothers’ group that flashed in the press.
    A mansion.
    Have you already been convicted?

    Not yet. I've been sitting here for a year or two. Preliminary hearings only begin next week.
    What's the problem?
    Mostly 105th and 210th, the rest are small things.
    How much do you expect?
    I have to confess. At the first trial, I think they won’t give me more than ten. According to the second,” Alexey squinted and sighed, “in short, for everything about everything, I hope to meet it by fourteen.”
    Wait, so it’s you Lesha Soldier,” I blurted out, not completely believing what was in front of me legendary killer, whose high-profile career began with the murder of Otari Kvantrishvili.
    Well, yes. - Alexei nodded somewhat uncertainly and smiled shyly.
    However, all this uncertainty, shyness and smiling could easily be attributed to empty contemplative epithets, which reflected only complete control over emotions - ideal nerves, but did not extend to character. The face, motor skills, and manners were like a winding of high-voltage wires, suppressing and hiding the discharge from view and contact. But one can only guess about this by applying fragmentarily known elements of his combat biography to the Soldier’s portrait. False? A game? Perhaps it is easier to fake “Dog Waltz?” “Moonlight Sonata” than to portray intelligence, erudition and education in the absence of the latter. Yes, perhaps, even eyes! Lesha has an exceptionally transparent look, without a deceitful gap, without agitated turbidity and greasyness. If the eyes are truly a mirror of the soul, then in the Soldier they reflected the purity and sinlessness of the baby.
    The jury will judge" - nothing else came to mind at that moment.
    Yes, my accomplices asked.
    And you?
    I do not care. I'm in full swing, I'll turn myself in.
    Did he really come?
    No, they accepted. I handed over the garage with the arsenal for showing up. Although, to tell the truth, I'm tired of running. You live as if you are suspended by your feet. It was only in prison that my nerves returned to normal. It's somehow calmer here. There is no escape from it and nothing depends on you. Sleep. Read. Fill in your education gaps.
    Fungus so inspiredly told how you failed Gusyatinsky.
    Grisha. I thought I could solve all the problems at once, but it didn’t work out. - Alexey sighed, pouring boiling water over the tea.
    Like this?
    Grisha Severny - Gusyatinsky became the head of the Orekhovskys, I reported directly to him.
    And the Pylevs?
    There were dust in his sixes; the group was headed after Grisha’s death. I had no choice. Our bosses killed people and each other for a rudely spoken word, for a sidelong glance. A pointless bloodbath is not my thing. I then directly told Grisha that I wanted to jump off. He laughed and said that this was impossible, otherwise the family would be put under hammer. Gusyatinsky was based in Kyiv in 1995, there were about twenty guards, whatever one may say, who wanted to kill him - there was a line. Well, I handed the family over to my father-in-law for safekeeping, so that he could take it away and go to Kyiv with a rifle. It was possible to film Grisha only from the neighboring house, at a very awkward angle, almost vertically, through a double-glazed window. In general, I did it.
    What did he shoot with?
    From small things.
    Listen. “I remembered the attempt on my father’s life. The hole in the window glass remained a memory of that day. - What determines the size of the bullet hole in the glass?
    From the power of the bullet. The lower the power, the larger the hole. If the hole is the size of a nickel, it means the bullet was at the end of its life.
    Kvantrishvili is also from the small stuff"
    From small things. Two shots at the end, the distance is decent.
    Well, you failed Gusyatinsky, why didn’t you jump off?
    You'll jump off there. After Grisha, the group was crushed by the Dusts. They have already pressed me with my family and Gusyatinsky. Damn circle. Although the Pylevs never ceased to emphasize that, they say, Lesha, you and I are equal, you have a share.
    Was the work piecework? Sherstobitov scratched the back of his head.
    Salary 70 thousand dollars per month. Plus bonuses for. but usually no more than salary.
    Not weak, and even in the nineties.
    But with this money I also bought disposable cars, equipment, weapons, and paid assistants.
    What did you drive?
    On the Niva it’s nimble, inconspicuous, it can fit everywhere, and you don’t mind throwing it off.
    What will they be judged for now?
    For an explosion in a cafe with random victims, for blowing up a car service station and an attempt on Tarantsev’s life.
    Why a cafe with service?
    Ninety-seventh year. There are no orders, but salaries are coming. So I had to pretend to be a fuss in order to justify the money. In a cafe on Shchelkovskoye Highway they wanted to smack the Izmailovskys, information reached them that there would be a gathering there. They placed a device with a timer under the table.

    What kind of incomprehensible stories and heroes are you flashing here?
    In terms of?
    Well, for example,” I randomly opened the first volume. - “Butorin (Osya), Polyansky M.A. Polyansky R.A. Usachev, Vasilchenko - September 22, 1998 in Moscow, murder of Meleshkin, attempt on Cherkasov, Nikitin and other persons”?
    This is an episode of the Orekhovskys. I don't remember the details. I know that they brought down the merchant - Cherkasov, the rest were targeted. Polyansky, Usachev, Vasilchenko have already been convicted, and Osya and the second Polyansky are now in the States, in prison. They should be handed over to Russia in the tenth year. But Osya will definitely not return here; rather, he will kill his neighbor in prison and unwind for another twenty years. There's no way he can come here.
    Why?
    Firstly, he faces life here. Secondly, the Wasp has the blood of thieves on it, which means there is a noose.
    Osya - who is this anyway?
    Sergei Butorin is the leader of the Orekhovskys.

    The legendary killer Alexey Sherstobitov, while imprisoned in a Lipetsk colony, writes books, composes songs, got married again and leads an active online life.

    Sentenced to 23 years for murders committed in the 90s, the killer of the famous Medvedkovsky group, Alexey Sherstobitov, does not lose courage and regularly shares his photos from the colony, supplementing them with philosophical quotes. The imprisonment in no way affected his love for life, but only made him a prolific writer and poet.


    51-year-old Alexey Sherstobitov is serving a 23-year sentence in the Lipetsk colony for 12 contract killings committed in the 90s.

    Fame came to Sherstobitov in the mid-2000s, after he successfully hid from justice for many years. It is interesting that for a long time Sherstobitov was considered a fictional character, and his pseudonym - Lesha Soldat - was a collective image of a group of hired killers.


    Sherstobitov in 2002, 4 years before his arrest and trial.

    His life changed dramatically after his arrest in 2006. Then he made a sensational confession about 12 contract killings of crime bosses and businessmen, and as a result received 23 years of maximum security. But even in the colony he found something to do, starting to write poetry and prose. Its starting point creative path His autobiography “Liquidator” was imprisoned. After its release, Alexey continues to try himself in new genres, and just a few days ago his A new book"Demon on Yavoni."

    But the famous killer did not stop at these achievements. Now he is learning a “new craft” - straight from the Lipetsk colony he became active in networking: Sherstobitov’s accounts were found in almost all in social networks. The outrageous prisoner arouses great interest among users. Online, he shares some of the features of his time in prison and advises readers to start every day with a smile.


    Photo from an Instagram account that has already been deleted from the network.

    The famous prisoner accompanied the photographs with philosophical quotes like this:
    “They say that history cannot be changed. But that's not true. It is impossible to return the past day, but it is quite possible to correct yesterday’s mistakes today. And then “it was bad” will turn into “it was bad, but things have changed since then.” The story of your life is yours, so that you and only you can be its creator and rewrite it yourself, if necessary.”.
    Lesha Soldat has an official website, a VKontakte group dedicated to his life, and a fairly popular YouTube channel. However, until recently, the most interesting news about Sherstobitov could be found on Istagram. The account, which was recently deleted due to publicity in the media, was maintained by the killer’s current wife, Marina. By the way, their love story surprised the world back in June 2016, when they registered their marriage.



    Sherstobitov and his fiancee Marina, a psychiatrist who formerly worked as a forensic expert.

    With my future wife, a 33-year-old psychiatrist from St. Petersburg, Marina Sosnenko, met the genius of camouflage through correspondence. Previously, the spectacular brunette was married to famous actor Sergei Druzhko. Letter after letter, Alexey and Marina got to know each other better and eventually decided to get married. The ceremony itself, carefully coordinated with the administration of the colony, lasted only about 15 minutes. And from the photo gallery of the official website of the crime writer, it became known that the young couple also consecrated their marriage with a wedding.

    The marriage registration procedure was carried out in the office of the deputy. head of ITK. An employee of the registry office was specially invited for this purpose. Among the few guests were only the closest relatives and friends of the newlyweds - Lesha Soldat’s sisters, childhood friends of both spouses and the killer’s lawyer. After the marriage, the young couple, as legal spouses, received permission for a long visit. Also, on the occasion of the wedding, the prison management allowed a photo session. The newlyweds posed in costumes of American gangsters from the Prohibition period.


    Despite the fact that many events from his personal life have become public, Alexey continues to remain a man of mystery. This is largely due to his past life, many situations from which have not yet been voiced. Only sometimes Sherstobitov lifts this curtain of mystery, talking about the ups and downs of the 90s.


    Criminal authority, founder of the Party of Russian Athletes Otari Kvantrishvili.

    One of his loudest statements was his confession to the murder of Otari Kvarntrishvili in 1994. It was this high-profile case that caused a storm of emotions among those around him and made Lesha the Soldier re-realize how slippery his path as a killer had become after this order.


    Boris Berezovsky after the assassination attempt in 1994

    But the most difficult target, according to Sherstobitov, turned out to be Boris Berezovsky. The oligarch was in his sights in the same 1994. The reason for “this meeting” was a disputed 100 thousand dollars between a famous crime boss and a businessman. After Berezovsky survived the explosion of his car, Alexei was ordered to finish him off. But just a few seconds before carrying out the task, the killer learned that the decision to eliminate him had been canceled.
    Alexey was detained in early 2006, at a time when he had already retired. Law enforcement agencies learned about the existence of Sherstobitov only in 2003, when the leaders of the Orekhovo-Medvedkovsk organized crime groups were arrested. One of them wrote a sincere confession, where he “leaked” his killer for the first time. During interrogations, ordinary militants spoke about a certain “Lesha the Soldier,” but no one knew his last name or what he looked like. Investigators believed that “Lesha the Soldier” was some kind of mythical collective image. Sherstobitov himself was extremely careful: he did not communicate with ordinary bandits, did not participate in their gatherings. He was a master of conspiracy and disguise: when going on business, he always used wigs, fake beards or mustaches. Sherstobitov did not leave fingerprints at the crime scene, and there were no witnesses.


    Sherstobitov at trial in 2006.

    In 2005, one of the leaders of the Kurgan organized crime group, Andrei Koligov (she was associated with the Orekhovskaya and Medvedkovskaya organized crime groups), who was serving a long sentence, unexpectedly called investigators and stated that a certain killer had once taken his girl away from him (it was Irina). Through her, detectives found Sherstobitov, who was detained in early 2006 when he came to the Botkin hospital to visit his father. During a search on rented apartment Sherstobitova in Mytishchi, detectives found several pistols and machine guns.
    Let us recall that while serving his sentence, Sherstobitov wrote 11 books on criminal topics. The controversial literary value of the works does not interfere with the writer’s popularity. Readers note the educational usefulness of the books. After all, the events of those years are still fresh in memory. While awaiting the verdict, Alexey Shestorbitov wrote a series of poems dedicated to the themes of repentance and death.
    Everything that he wants to say to the outside world today, the ex-killer pours out through creativity. He tries to remember his “past sins” as little as possible and is optimistic about the future.

    Since childhood Alexey Sherstobitov I saw myself only as a military man. All his ancestors from the 7th generation considered it their duty to wear shoulder straps. The parents prepared the boy for the same fate, teaching him to deftly use weapons as a child. Alexey will then far surpass the entire family clan taken together in professional skill. True, at first he chose for himself a rather peaceful branch of the military - railway, and graduated from a specialized military school.

    The curriculum of a military railway worker does not include subjects such as conspiracy, organization of surveillance and the manufacture of explosive devices, but Alexey Sherstobitov later proved himself a master in these applied disciplines, and certified specialists - former officers of the GRU, KGB and internal troops - only served him .

    Having not finished playing “Zarnitsa” and spies in childhood, over-aged children, who had completely forgotten about the oath to serve the Motherland, enthusiastically indulged in their favorite pastime, leaving behind corpses and often adding their remains to the rows of grave mounds in cemeteries.

    In the ranks of well-known organized crime groups

    The beginning of the officer career of a born military man took place on the Moscow Railway. After the service, Sherstobitov went to the gym, where he intensively “pulled” iron in the company of powerlifters. One of them, “Grinya,” through a friend, knew the leader of the Orekhovskaya organized crime group, Sylvester, and made his living guarding retail outlets. Having explained the material benefits of such an occupation to the young officer, he suggested that he give up his family traditions and, for the first time, start guarding several stalls.

    Alexey Sherstobitov’s probationary period was quite successful, and then he joined the ranks of the Medvedkovskaya organized crime group. There he was offered a higher-paying profession - a killer. From Alexey Sherstobitov he turned into “Lesha the Soldier”. For his debut, the newly minted killer chose a grenade launcher. The victim was supposed to be a certain Filin, a rather “murky” person who served in a special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, at the same time, was involved in shady affairs, thanks to which the owners of mouse-colored jackets were popularly called “garbage.” Excitement let the debutant down a little. The grenade hit the car, but did not cause much damage to the victim’s health.

    The first customer for Lesha-Soldat was. The “Orekhovskys” were friends with the “Medvedkovskys” and the boss eliminated the unwanted ones with the help of another group, confusing the future investigation. The second case of Alexey Sherstobitov went down in the history of perestroika times. An iconic figure in business was sent to the next world, public life and crime. Shot from sniper rifle interrupted a completely successful life up to this point. Another criminal general was luckier. He was seriously injured, but survived the explosion of an entire car with explosives in 2004, but a little girl who happened to be nearby did not.

    After this mistake, “Lesha the Soldier” somewhat calmed down his passion for technically complex assassinations and switched to the classics. He fled with “Greenya” to Ukraine to wait until the passions associated with the murder of their patron Sylvester on September 13, 1994 subsided in Moscow. Sherstobitov’s new acquaintances, the siblings “Maloy” and “Sanych,” offered him their protection, but to begin fruitful cooperation it was necessary to eliminate their former boss"Grinyu", which was skillfully executed from a sniper rifle.

    Working for the Pylev brothers

    “Grinya” remained in a coma for 3 days, after which Ukrainian resuscitators turned off the devices that ensured the still glimmering life of the former KGB officer.

    The criminal brothers kept their promise and gave three ex-officers of Russian law enforcement agencies to help the killer. “Lesha the Soldier” had to come close to the next victim to shoot him in the head. She became the owner of the capital's entertainment establishment "Dolls" Joseph Glotser, who very recklessly quarreled with the famous, but who turned out to be a very vindictive businessman Alexander Tarantsev.

    This happened in 2007. A year later, Alexey Sherstobitov began the hunt for Tarantsev himself. The businessman turned out to be a tough nut to crack. The organization of his security and the professionalism of the security did not give Sherstobitov the slightest chance of success. After prolonged surveillance and much thought, “Lesha the Soldier” strained all his imagination and began constructing an “infernal machine” that had no analogues in history from an ordinary VAZ “four”.

    In the car he placed a machine gun and a drive for a remote firing control system. Having parked the car opposite the entrance to the Russian Gold company and precisely positioned the sight, “Lesha the Soldier” disappeared from the eyes of those around him in the nearest gateway. A small technical problem saved Tarantsev’s life that day. The machine did not respond to the radio signal sent by the killer. But after 2 hours, he spontaneously fired a burst at a company security guard who had left the premises for fresh air.

    Alexey Sherstobitov could become the performer of another historical action. In 1997, he was sent by his leaders to Greece to search for the “Terminator” Alexander Thessaloniki. He, sensing something was wrong, wanted to take countermeasures and kill “Maly” and “Sanych”. As a result, he was eliminated by another soldier - “Sasha the Soldier”.

    The fate of Thessaloniki taught Alexey Sherstobitov a lot. First of all, the ability to leave the game in time. At the end of the 90s, he curtailed his bloody business and disappeared. Investigators did not have a single lead in the investigation of contract killings. “Lesha the Soldier” always carefully disguised himself, used makeup, wigs, and thought through escape options. Conspiracy helped him create the opinion that his name, which operatives sometimes heard, was just a beautiful legend; no “Lesha the Soldier” existed. In fact, he made one fatal mistake - he did not carry out a complete “cleanup” before leaving. Attempts to protect your future life Alexey Sherstobitov, of course, took action by removing his not very reliable assistant Chip, a former “pearbag,” out of fear that his continuous drunkenness could loosen his tongue.

    Lesha Soldier is no longer a myth

    In 2003, during interrogation, “Maloy” split, revealing to the investigators a lot of what he knew about Sherstobitov and his affairs. He even offered to find the killer and hand him over to the authorities. “Lesha the Soldier” materialized from oblivion. After 2 years, one of the arrested members recalled personal grievances against the former killer.

    Andrey Koligov is the leader of the Kurgan organized crime group. It was he who handed the Soldier over to investigators

    There is more than enough information. The inevitable arrest of the criminal became a matter of technique. At the beginning of 2006, Alexey Sherstobitov was arrested in the visiting hall of the Botkin Hospital. The investigators' surprise knew no bounds. A modest plasterer from one of the construction sites appeared before their eyes. In the end, the career military man preferred a trowel to a rifle and chose for himself the most peaceful profession of a builder.

    The court in 2 stages sentenced Alexey Sherstobitov to 23 years of strict regime. The trial drew a line under the list of his victims. In the final version, there are 12 people. The judges took into account the active repentance of the defendant, his complete departure from crime, and several episodes of his cases, in which they saw the beginnings of humanity, when he filtered the identities of his possible victims and refused to carry out the order.

    Left - Sergei Elizarov, right - killer Alexey Sherstobitov

    The parents of “Lekha the Soldier” made a big mistake. They did not need to “brainwash” the child with the heroic past of their last name, but to discern his ability to create. In prison for 3 years, Alexey Sherstobitov showed the skills of a prolific writer of the detective genre, publishing 3 of his novels through intermediaries: “The Liquidator” in 2 parts, “Skin of the Devil” and “Someone else’s Wife”.

    In June of this year, he still proved himself to be a master of shocking. To register their marriage with a fan of their work, which took place within the walls of the Lipetsk colony, the newlyweds came dressed in the style of gangster fashion from the times of American Prohibition.

    Alexey Sherstobitov's wedding in Lipetsk prison

    If he had the opportunity to be free, he might have surpassed the master of the genre, Sergei Zverev, in the extravagance of his clothing and behavior. It is hoped that the creative spirit of the soldier-plasterer will not dry out during the remaining 13 years of imprisonment.

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