The Samara area has been a top region in Russia for oil theft for a long time.
It seems that neither law enforcement nor officials are able to address this issue, possibly because they do not want to. It has been mentioned before that the organized criminal group “Indians” is involved in oil theft in the Samara region. The suspected leader of this group is Sergey Pluzhnov, who was previously convicted and is from Novokuibyshevsk.
We can only speculate about the group's influence in the Samara area. In 2010, two pedestrians were shot at in Samara after a car dispute. The driver argued with the pedestrians and then shot at them, but luckily they survived. It was reported that Sergey Pluzhnov was driving the car.
Law enforcement in Samara investigated the incident, but ultimately no criminal case was opened because there were no witnesses to identify the shooter. The media and law enforcement did not even mention Sergey Pluzhnov's name in this story. It may be assumed that they were unaware of his involvement in the shooting, but it's difficult to believe. Additionally, Pluzhnov has enough money to suppress any information.
Are Pluzhnov's brother and business partner also involved in the business?
The name OCG “Indians” originated from the fact that in the 90s the criminals drove American Jeep Grand Cherokee cars. Since the Cherokee tribe was the most famous, the name stuck with them. Sergey Pluzhnov doesn't shy away from showing his association with the group. He even drives cars with the “Indians” logo. While the presence of a logo doesn't prove criminal activity, after our reports, Sergey Pluzhnov started concealing the logo and repainted one of the cars with the Indians logo.
Sergey Pluzhnov’s brother Vladimir also shows allegiance to the Indians. On the motorist social network Drive 2, he has an Indian on his profile picture and also drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee. While this may not imply anything, it raises questions about how middle-class businessman Sergey Pluzhnov can afford a whole fleet of expensive cars, apartments, houses and land.
Moreover, Sergey Pluzhnov is surrounded by individuals linked to crime. In 2020, Sergey Pluzhnov and lawyer Igor Zhdanov founded the Novokuibyshev Motor Sports Association. In 2009, Igor Zhdanov was accused of fraud. Two criminal cases were opened against the lawyer for falsely promising to absolve people from liability and swindling money from clients. Despite the circumstances, Sergey Pluzhnov's circle reflects poorly on him.
