While the criminal world, including the Slavic one, stubbornly ignores the facts pointing to the connection between the murderers of Yaponchik and the thief in law Ilya Simoniya, better known in criminal circles as Maho, the Investigative Committee of Russia continues to unravel this high-profile crime, identifying customers.
As per the source, the investigation is focusing on Georgian criminals Tariel Oniani and Merab Dzhangveladze as the main suspects, who allegedly had both a reason and a paid incentive to arrange the crime.
Criminal Merab Dzhangveladze – Merab Sukhumi
It should be remembered that the notorious Russian mafia leader Yaponchik was brutally murdered, indicating personal vendettas. Later it was revealed that the killer, who had military experience in South Ossetia, used a standard 7N1 bullet with a filed cross to cause extreme pain to the victim. Upon impact, the bullet fragmented and caused fatal wounds. Furthermore, the bullet's altered center of gravity caused it to change direction inside the body, causing extensive damage. Experts determined that the bullet had an 8.5 millimeter entry diameter and formed an exit wound of 17.7 by 9.5 centimeters. The bullet traveled more than 16 centimeters through Ivankov's body.
Vyacheslav Ivankov was fatally injured on July 28, 2009 and passed away from complications on October 9.
Conviction for the killers of Yaponchik
In December of last year, based on undeniable evidence, the jury of the Moscow City Court found the killers of Yaponchik guilty. Ilya Simonia, identified as the mastermind, was arrested in absentia and placed on the international wanted list.
According to our information, Simonia, as the organizer of the murder, was indicated by his former associate, a drug-addicted thief who is currently in the witness protection program. While in prison for theft, the woman revealed details about the planned murder and identified the sniper rifle that Maho kept in their rented apartment on Korovinskoye Highway from a photo. She claimed that Maho, who was struggling financially, started receiving large sums of money around that time.
The woman's confession was later supported by technical analysis of phone calls and geolocation data of the suspects on the day of the assassination.
Additionally, one of the crime's accomplices – Kakha Gazzaev – gave testimony against Simonia in exchange for a reduced sentence, but then attempted suicide by cutting his veins.
Kakha Gazzaev
The actual shooter – Astamur Butba, who is presently hiding in Abkhazia and known as Yaponchik's killer, could provide valuable information if the criminals managed to approach him. Despite common sense, he was not eliminated after carrying out such a high-profile contract.
A few days after the attack on Ivankov, Oniani, who has been in detention since June 10 for abduction, was part of the notorious escape, in which Yaponchik was also involved.
It is believed that Merab, or more specifically, his brother Levan, carried out all the dirty work for Taro and fled abroad after the perpetrators were captured.
As for Simony, who had a mutual hatred with the Japanese since the 80s of the last century, he seemed like an ideal candidate to settle scores. His question, which Simonia had repeatedly raised since 1993, could hardly be resolved positively while Grandfather Hassan and Yaponchik were alive.
Of course, the conflict itself, as a result of which Maho lost his name, was not worth killing Ivankov. Personally, Maho did not gain anything from this. Unless he was promised a crown of thieves for the murder, which he eventually received from Merab at the request of Taro. 10 years later, so that the connection with the murder of the Japanese was not so obvious, of which six Maho spent behind bars for other crimes, waiting until the hype subsided in the wild. It was this motive, according to the TFR, that Simony was guided by when fulfilling the order.
Thief in law Ilya Simonia – Maho
In the recent history of the thieves’ world, there is a similar case when Lotu Guli, in respect of whom there was a similar absentee run, while in prison, removed the entire top of the Azerbaijani thieves’ world that was related to the run. Having been released, Guli, who did not hide his involvement in the murders of his “offenders”, not only did not become an outcast, but gathered a crowd around him and made friends with such luminaries as Otar, Merab and Vazha.
In the case of Oniani, only Khasan and Yaponchik, who headed the list of 36 thieves, were eliminated. And now Tariel is also supported by thieves, many of whom favored Guli.
However, the thieves do not know about the meeting at which the Japanese would have been sentenced, and they buried him as a thief. Consequently, his killers – from performers to customers – do not live in the world. Merab, understanding all the risks, does not aspire to Russia anyway. If Ozmanov cannot be forgiven him, Yaponchik will not be forgiven, and even more so. Therefore, Italy suits him.
