The special operation titled “Troika”, carried out last week, still leaves numerous questions. First of them: has it been one of the large-scale attempts to stop the influence by Russian mafia abroad? Then why Russian officials keep silence, while they must be rejoicing with this help from the Spanish police? The only statement made by a Russian MP Pavel Krashennikov was dedicated to etymology of the word “mafia”. In the meanwhile, it would be more interesting to see into etymology of the “tambovsko-malyshevskaya” group itself, as the detained were called by the international media. Who are those people and what is their relation to today’s Russia?       

Montagues and Capulets from St Petersburg

Some confusion of terms appeared from the very beginning of this story when 20 Russians were detained in Spain on the morning of 13 June. Most of them are happy owners of luxurious villas on the famous Mediterranean coast of the country. The European media juggled with pleasure with their names: Leonid Khristoforov, Alexander Malyshev-Gonzalez, Gennady Petrov, Yuri Salikov, Yulia Smolenko, Vitaly Izgilov and others. All of them were alleged to belong to a criminal group originated in the city of Tambov (in Russia). They are charged with money laundering, arms traffic, hired murders, extortion, drugs dealing, also smuggling of cobalt and tobacco.    

In reality, the three Russians of those arrested come from St Petersburg and only a man not knowing a thing about Russian mafia might call them to be “tambovskie”. Though it’s really Petersburg where the criminal group “Tambovskie” came to have a power, this is far from being the only large criminal group in the Northern Capital. 

The “Malyshevsky” clan, named after Alexander Malyshev, who is waiting for the trial in a Spanish prison, was no less influential in Petersburg. In the 90’s these two clans were at war like Montagues and Capulets. So one may imagine astonishment by Malyshev and his comrades when the international press made a “tambovsko-malyshevskaya” criminal group out of them. 

From Devyatkino to Malaga

The name of Leonid Khristoforov is least known in St Petersburg despite the fact he took part in a celebrated trial on Galina Starovoitova’s murder (she was a well known MP member). He was the man to sell to killers the submachine gun Agran-2000 and the woman was killed with it. However, he was summoned to the trial only as a witness. It is not known how Khristoforov managed to get to Spain after that.  

Another Petersburg expatriate, Alexander Malyshev, moved to Spanish Malaga in the early 2000’s. Actually, he fled from Russia. It happened in spring 1998 after a series of unsuccessful attempts made on him. That year he managed to get Estonian citizenship. When it turned out that he had submitted a forged birth certificate to Estonian authorities, he was sentenced for one month. Of course, that was no first prison term by Malyshev – he had been arrested before being charged with murders, gangsterism and illegal possession of weapons.  

After getting at large Malyshev hurried off from Estonia and got a shelter in Spain. There he appeared as Alexander Langas Gonzalez, as he had married a Latin American female and took her family name.   

In the 90’s the newspapers wrote that Malyshev’s team in Petersburg was in control of drugs dealing, hotel and restaurant business, and influenced greatly the banking sphere. They also said something about Petersburg Fuel Company (PFC) that managed to come up to a serious level. And it had relation to Malyshev’s rival Vladimir Kumarin.

Malyshev’s people collided with “tambovskie”, whose unofficial leader was Kumarin, as far back as 1988. That year a date was fixed in the village of Devyatkino, which resulted in shooting with killed and wounded on both sides. Amazingly, they say anyway it were three figures to found PFC – Vladimir Kumarin, Alexander Malyshev and Ilia Traber. According to the media, those three invested their own capitals into the company’s development. The rumors put it that it’s only in 1997 that Malyshev stopped his participation in PFC. It seems that the fuel market was the only place where antagonists Malyshev and Kumarin concluded a temporary alliance. Probably, that was done for the sake of interests balancing.

Spanish guests

In the 90’s Gennady Petrov began his business under protection of Vladimir Kumarin. They say later he defected to Malyshev’s people. Gradually, he grew into an independent “boss”. After having settled in Spain, he visited both Russian capitals more often than other “colonists” did. Besides other things, he may have relation to a well known jewelry network in St Petersburg named “585”. His son Anton Petrov is alleged to be the owner of this network. They say, this Spanish “guest” was received in high offices in Moscow. The topics that might have been discussed then may be discovered after the Spanish police check the arrested accounts of Russian mafia. It may take time as the number of accounts is about 500.        

Well, very few doubt that those “expatriates from troubled 90’s” even residing in Spain, carried out activities in Russia through their authorized representatives. This way, Ilia Traber is alleged to get constant profits out of border town of Vyborg with its smuggling corridors leading from the EU to Moscow. Traber is one of those few who avoided being arrested in the course of the operation made by the Spanish police. They say he was in Russia at that time. At present he is the only probable founder of the PFC to stay at large. It’s been a year that Kumarin is placed in a Russian prison, while Malyshev has been put to a Spanish one now. 

The figure of Ilia Traber is also interesting with the fact he was rather close to St Petersburg authorities. Something like 15 years ago he was favored by Anatoly Sobchak and somewhat by Vladimir Yakovlev (who was the Petersburg’s governor after Sobchak). In the criminal circles he was known as “Antiquarian” as he was one of the founders of this business in the city. Besides, he influenced greatly the Petersburg sea port and was founder of “Venko” Fuel Company whose filling stations were seen along the highway “Scandinavia” up to Finland.  

Party’s gold

Russia’s response to the action by Spanish police was alerted silence. Probably, domestic law enforcing bodies are waiting for more detailed information. However, the opposite is also possible: it’s exactly the more detailed information that is afraid of by someone in Russia.  

An anonymous businessman from St Petersburg, who dealt both with “Malyshevskie” and “tambovskie” in the 90’s, told to a Novaya Gazeta correspondent that the Spanish operation might have undesirable consequences for some members of the Russian political and business elite. This source considers that those “Russian Spanish” might have been in contact till recently with some high ranking officials in Moscow. In particular, some media gave the name of Igor Sechin in relation to Ilia Traber and Gennady Petrov. Igor Sechin is the former deputy head of the President’s Administration and now he is one of the deputies prime minister. It is probable that Sechin and Traber might have got acquainted in the Petersburg of Sobchak’s times where Sechin headed the apparatus of the Committee for External ties (and the Committee was headed by Putin himself then). Another man to know something about Ilia Traber is today’s head of Rosprirodnadzor Vladimir Kirillov. In the press of the 90’s he was considered to be Traber’s opponent. When he was the mayor of the city of Vyborg, this today’s chief country’s ecologist tried not to allow Petersburg people into his city. However, after shifting Kirillov to the regional government, the Traber’s and Petrov’s people “inherited” Vyborg, according to the media.       

Same source made an assumption that the bank accounts open in Spain by Malyshev’s people might have been used for keeping significant amounts from Russia. Here it would be more relevant talking not about the Communists’ gold (which was never found), but about money of some persons who belong to “another” party (hinting at United Russia).    

Novaya Gazeta information

“Troika” operation was executed in Majorka, Malaga, Madrid and Alicanta.  For some reason, Gennady Petrov is considered to be the most significant person among those arrested. His Spanish assets are estimated to be 30 millions of euro. 

13 out of 20 detained were put to prison without any right of going out on bail, and Gennady Petrov is one of them. Four people, whose guilt to the Spanish laws is insignificant, have been released on bails varying from € 6,000 to 100,000.