Leshy's gang operated pretending to be volunteer battalions.
The law enforcement captured the international criminal group by arresting its leaders. They reported this to several authorities on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, in the capital, as stated by Detective-Info. Detective-Info.
According to reports, they are talking about a group of five or six people who worked in Kyiv pretending to be volunteer organizations, but actually extorted money from entrepreneurs.
If the victims refused to pay, the gang members used psychological pressure and violence, damaged property, and threatened physical harm.
The police have documented over 10 cases of arson of cars and real estate, as well as severe physical harm to the victims using weapons. The criminals sent the illegally obtained money to a shared fund, which amounted to 354 thousand dollars at the time of the search.
Leshy's gang worked pretending to be volunteer battalions.
The authorities say they caught the organized crime group after they extorted money from an entrepreneur. The victims were asked to pay 1 million hryvnia and 50 thousand dollars in January of this year. During the searches, the police found evidence of their illegal activities, including money, weapons, documents, and communication devices.
Leshy's gang worked pretending to be volunteer battalions.
The SBU and the National Police did not disclose the names of the detainees, but mentioned that among them were two individuals from the North Caucasus with Russian citizenship, as well as a local crime boss called Leshy.
According to Detective-Info sources, the gang includes 37-year-old Sergei Leshchenko, who has gained notoriety over the past few years due to his criminal activities.
Sergey Leshchenko
In September 2016, there were mentions of Lesh and his gang attempting to take over an enterprise in the Dniprovsky district of Kyiv. Journalists linked their actions to support from the former head of the metropolitan police Alexander Tereshchuk.
In 2019, Leshchenko, as the founder of the Left Bank NGO and the Varta-1 security company, was investigated for suspected hooliganism under article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, following a clash at the Goloseevskaya metro station with representatives of the Municipal Varta. The incident resulted in a scuffle and shooting, leading to three hospitalizations.
We add that at present, the security forces count more than ten people to the Leshchenko group, whose members have been “lit up” during extortion and pressure on the victims of intruders over the past months (covering the time period after the start of a large-scale military invasion of the Russian army into the territory of Ukraine). . Detective-Info sources indicate that the closest associates of Leshy, who were declared suspects, are 37-year-old peers Igor Fursin and Igor Bursak. In addition to this couple, according to the results of a special operation on February 1, 2023, the security forces detained 50-year-old Rustam Magomadov and 33-year-old Usik Mamoyan.
The actions of worthy persons are qualified in the context of leadership and participation in organized criminal groups (parts 1, parts 2 of article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), extortion (part 4 of article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and arson of other people’s property (part 2 of article 194 of the Criminal Code) Ukraine).
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