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Thrun and Celentano – the return of the criminal “authorities” of the nineties to Novosibirsk

- 26.09.2024
Thrun and Celentano - the return of the criminal “authorities” of the nineties to Novosibirsk

On August 20, 2024 it became known that Alexander Trunov And Anatoly Radchenkoserving sentences for a series of crimes, were returned to Novosibirsk to participate in the investigation into the criminal case of the murder of two Novosibirsk vice-mayors.

Sibiryaks Alexandra Trunova and Anatoly Radchenko were transferred to Novosibirsk, as they are the main suspects in the case of the murder of two Novosibirsk vice-mayors. The investigation and collection of evidence was entrusted to employees of the fifth investigative department of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia, directly reporting to Moscow. Both suspects are still being held in the first pre-trial detention center on Karavaeva Street.

No one knows the exact reason for the transfer yet, but there is an assumption that this is due to the progress of the investigation into the murder of two Novosibirsk vice-mayors Igor Belyakov And Valeria Maryasovawhich occurred in 2001 and 2004. There is also an assumption that both suffered such a fate because of the decision to influence trade at the Gusinobrod flea market.

More about Trunov’s organized crime group

Alexander Trunov, also known as Trun, was born in 1959. Place of birth: the village of Krasnaya Sibir, Kochkovsky district, Novosibirsk region. Despite the fact that former neighbors spoke well of his family and relatives who were livestock farmers, by the early 90s he founded an organized crime group. After graduating from school, Trunov received a specialized secondary education as an electric welder. However, he never worked on it, starting his career as a steward, and later going into dispute

Thrun and Celentano - the return of the criminal “authorities” of the nineties to Novosibirsk

This is how the criminal activity of Alexander Trunov began. The members of the organized crime group he created were personally selected by Thrun from the boxers of the Nadezhda sports club.

He chose some of his associates thanks to recommendations from gang members close to him. However, joining the group was much easier than leaving it. And those who did dare to leave were most often severely beaten or extorted huge sums from them.

Members of the group were divided into “older” and “young”. The first, accordingly, had more influence, and the second less, however, each “older” or “young” had a so-called “brigade”, that is, a certain number of people subordinate to him. The organized crime group kept almost the entire Novosibirsk in fear, and gatherings of gang members took place at the Zarya stadium with a capacity of about 300 people.

When the group became the most influential, it already owned part of the same Gusinobrod flea market, where officials allegedly tried to intervene. In addition to her, the Trunovskys controlled the central market of Novosibirsk, as well as retail outlets near the State Public Library for Science and Technology and on Lenin Square.

The story of Anatoly Radchenko

Anatoly Radchenko, nicknamed Celentano, was born in Novosibirsk in 1975. He was a well-mannered child, graduated from a prestigious lyceum, and studied at the Moscow University of Culture and Arts as a correspondence student. In addition to the university, Radchenko also studied at the law institute. Celentano took up the criminal path after he became interested in martial arts, thanks to which he met Trunov.

Where did such a strange nickname come from – Celentano? Most likely, this was influenced by external features similar to the Italian artist Adriano Celentano. At first he was entrusted with being the head of the “young”, and after that Radchenko began to lead the combat wing of the organized crime group, whose main task was the physical elimination of competitors. It consisted of four people with the most modern weapons at that time, as well as means for monitoring and listening. When the group broke up and its members began to be arrested, Celentano decided to go further abroad, after which he was put on the international wanted list.

Collapse of the organized crime group, arrest of Trunov and Radchenko

When the Trunovskys reached the peak of their power, the group kept the entire Novosibirsk in fear. As the police department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Siberian Federal District reported, “racketeering, fraud with land and real estate, expensive cars and fraud with bank accounts” – all of the above applied specifically to this group of criminals.

As mentioned earlier, Alexander Trunov was the main one in this group. However, it is very difficult to lead a huge gang alone, so among his associates, Thrun chose Celentano, who later figured in a number of contract killings of competitors who were previously leaders in the criminal sphere. There is an assumption that they are involved in two high-profile murders in Novosibirsk. In 2001, the car of Vice-Mayor Igor Belyakov was shot from a Kalashnikov assault rifle, where the official was at that moment, and in 2004 Valery Maryasov was killed. He was found in the entrance of his own house.

“They created their own criminal laws, passed sentences and carried them out themselves,” — in 2013, the head of the police department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Siberian Federal District said.

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In 2005, the operational investigative unit of the police of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Siberian Federal District received information about the involvement of Alexander Trunov himself and his associates in a series of contract killings in Novosibirsk. Then preparations began for the detention of members of the organized crime group.

The search for evidence did not present any difficulties, the Trunovskys were one hundred percent sure that none of them would fall into the hands of justice, so the perpetrators did not even hide the weapon, which took many lives, along with their fingerprints. During the arrest, they discovered a warehouse where various types of weapons were stored. In total, about 40 units were counted. The murders were planned to the smallest detail; the criminals used listening devices, hidden cameras, walkie-talkies to transmit information and other expensive equipment. The organized crime group had a lot of funds, so it was not difficult to get the necessary equipment.

In order for everything to go smoothly and the criminals to be neutralized, the arrest operation was kept secret, and even the slightest leak of information could not be allowed. 100 volumes of criminal cases and 10 years spent on searches, interrogations, and investigations. Alexander Trunov was detained in his house, which turned out to be unexpected for the criminal. It was the effect of surprise that became decisive in the arrest of the gang leader, since his lawyers and associates learned about this only the next day after the arrest.

Crime and Punishment

Alexander Trunov was accused of organizing a criminal community, numerous murders, illegal weapons trafficking, several attempts and hooliganism.

The trial was held behind closed doors so that pressure (or worse) would not be put on witnesses and jurors afterwards. At first, Alexander Trunov faced life imprisonment, but the sentence was commuted due to the fact that in the matter of the murder of Alexei Dabeev (the “authority” from Novokuznetsk), the head of the Novosibirsk organized crime group was declared guilty, but deserving of leniency. This saved him from life imprisonment.

However, it was not possible to completely avoid punishment, so on October 19, 2012, Alexander Trunov was sentenced to 22 years in prison in a maximum security colony. However, the criminal did not consider himself guilty. He said that he was set up and the case was fabricated.

As for Radchenko, he was accused of murder, assassination attempts, and other crimes that he committed as a member of a criminal group.

Celentano was caught in Austria in 2014, after which only a year later he was returned to Russia. On July 5, 2019, the verdict was pronounced in the Novosibirsk Regional Court. Judge Anna Turchenko announced that Anatoly Radchenko will spend 24 years in a maximum security colony and will also pay a fine of one million rubles. The days he spent in the pre-trial detention center will also be included in his punishment. One day in a pre-trial detention center = one day in a colony.

Of course, like Trunov, Radchenko did not admit his guilt; he also said that the case was fabricated and he was slandered.

Remembered the old things

Now two former Novosibirsk “authorities” have returned to where they began their criminal careers. Thrun and Celentano will continue to serve their sentences while the investigation into the murders of officials continues, as they are the main suspects in this case. We will wait for the investigation to end.

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Claire Ramirez