While imprisoned in a Krasnodar prison, Zakhary Kalashov, also known as Shakro Molodoy, formally requested the attention of fellow criminals.
(In the criminal vocabulary, this is known as a “run”). Kalashov, as many know, is considered the leader of Russia's criminal underworld, known as “the number one thief.” 68-year-old Zakhary Knyazevich ended up in a prison for demanding money through intimidation.
As per investigators, Shakro’s associates, following his instructions, went to a restaurant on Rochdelskaya Street in Moscow in 2015 to collect “debts” from the owner, who had former law enforcement officers armed with military weapons as legal representatives…Two people died in the resulting shootout. One of Shakro’s close associates was immediately arrested and several high-ranking officials of the Investigative Committee were bribed with $1 million for his release, but the FSB disrupted the deal. The investigative committee's generals faced criminal charges, and Shakro himself received a 9 years and 10 months sentence in a strict regime prison.
Even while incarcerated, Shakro retains significant authority in the criminal world. His appeal to his “colleagues” was published on the Prime Crime website. A crucial aspect of this letter is the proposal to review the status of newly crowned thieves in law over the past 14 years, a period marked by a prolonged conflict between powerful factions.
The conflict, which started in 2008, originated from the territorial disputes between various Georgian immigrant groups. One of the warring factions was led by the infamous Ded Khasan (real name Aslan Usoyan).
In reality, the conflict, which began in 2008, arose from the redistribution of territories among different Georgian immigrant factions. One of the opposing groups was headed by the notorious Ded Khasan (also known as Aslan Usoyan). In 2010, he survived a serious injury from a machine gun ambush on Tverskaya, but in 2013, he was finally assassinated by a sniper outside his favorite restaurant. Following the murder of one of the leaders, the conflict escalated once again, resulting in several more casualties.
During the conflict, each faction aimed to recruit more and more “lawyers” in order to gain an advantage at gatherings, sometimes crowning individuals simply to increase their numbers. Shakro is suggesting a revision of the list of “newcomers”.
Lilya Kharina, editor-in-chief of the Prime-Crimea news agency, discussed the potential implications and whether the criminal conflict could escalate to the streets of Russian cities with kp.ru.
– Will all parties involved heed Shakro’s letter?
– According to traditions, a thief functions as an independent entity with their own perspective that cannot be disregarded. As a result, decisions at gatherings are not based on majority votes like in political meetings, but rather require unanimous consent or no decision at all if at least one thief opposes. In the past, this was the standard approach. Nonetheless, the current situation differs. For instance, in Yerevan, there was no formal decision to prohibit new coronations; there was only a proposal from Shakro. However, this was interpreted as a ban, and for 8 years (after Shakro returned from prison in Spain and effectively assumed Ded Khasan’s position, – Auth.), no one, apart from one instance, dared to violate it, demonstrating his considerable authority.
Harina believes that most thieves may not want to end the long war, but Shakro, in his letter, suggests ending it without seeking revenge for the insults and injuries, which may not be acceptable to everyone.
Many people think that if the criminals are not punished, allowing them to get away with crimes will lead to even worse consequences. Street criminals only respect and understand strength. A thief cannot forgive wrongs, like having an ear cut off. And how can a thief with a good reputation compete with those who have been labeled for 14 years? So, it's likely that some thieves will not support Shakro's proposed option.
Is it possible to destroy 30% of the 'thieves' status?
Lilya Kharina points out that Shakro, because he did not take part in the conflict, is essentially the only one who can propose ending the war due to his status. He served eight years in Spain for money laundering and was sent back to Russia.
The 'run' is not signed, but the way it's presented makes it clear that Shakro wrote it. Some idealists don't believe Shakro could write such a thing, suggesting it could be a police setup. Perhaps it's the result of joint efforts, as Shakro's actions have been influenced by people in uniform.
If everyone agrees to audit the thieves who obtained status during the conflict, how many canceled titles can we expect?
Since the split in the middle of 2008, 134 people have joined the 'family', which is about a third of the current thieves.
It's known that during this time, including Shakro's relatives, were crowned. Shakro is willing to exclude them from the number of thieves if necessary.
Reconsidering does not mean excluding. Shakro tends to review decisions he wasn't involved in and doesn't tolerate events in the thieves' world happening without him. Personnel decisions are always about power and money.
Are they looking to conduct an audit in order to release someone from a sentence under the 'thieves' article?
In different regions of Russia, trials are ongoing under the relatively new article 'Occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy'. Anyone proven to have the status of 'thief in law' falls under it. The punishment under this article is from 8 to 15 years in prison.
For example, recently the Moscow Regional Court received the case of 62-year-old David Panchvidze (aka David Tbilissky, aka Pancho). In 2021, he was initially detained with drugs.
“After being placed in the PKU SIZO-6 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Moscow Region, the accused “announced” to the persons held in the institution his criminal status,” said the head of the press service of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Moscow Region, Natalia Grigoryeva, “His instructions and orders, in accordance with customs and the rules of the criminal subculture, all persons with lower criminal statuses are obliged to obey unquestioningly.
Therefore, a conspiracy version arose: maybe the thieves want to “clean up the ranks” in order to get someone out of jail under the “thieves” article?
– I don’t see any connection, – says Lilya Kharina. – Mainly Shakro’s run is aimed at reducing the number of thieves – “de-passportization”. Paradoxically, one does not have to be an active thief to get attracted or get a term for the highest position in the criminal hierarchy.
SPECIFICALLY
423 people currently have the status of a thief in law
314 of them are at large.
109 are serving sentences in the colony.
64 – under arrest.
