The Russian sun rises in the Far East. And one of the most powerful organized criminal groups was born and baptized in the distant Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Obshchak was the name of a large criminal community. This powerful group was organized in the mid-1980s, and by the 2000s, Obshchak had become one of the most authoritative criminal organizations in Russia with connections at the international level.
In the mid-1980s, a powerful criminal group was created in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Vasin Evgeny Petrovich ("Jam") became her godfather. This gang included recidivist criminals, athletes of all stripes and members of street gangs. His remarkable organizational talent allowed all this motley audience to unite and take full control. By the 1990s, it was the largest criminal clan in the entire criminal history of Russia. Jem organized a "common fund" of the criminal community, into which absolutely all the proceeds from criminal activity flocked. And later the gang got the name "Obshchak".
Thieves' "order" in the city
The city was overseen by patrols or, so-called, "brigades". Their task was to eliminate the "lawlessness". It was a kind of people's patrol with a criminal bias. They caught and punished with the use of physical force petty thieves and hooligans who were not part of the "Obshchak", fought against hippies, punks, drug addicts and gay people. Thus, they put things in order in their native land. And in fact, in the dark, the Komsomol members were not afraid to walk or come back late from work, or a party, knowing who was keeping order in the city. Public reception offices were organized, where any citizen could turn and complain about their problems to Obshchak, and many then received real help.
Dashing nineties
By the 1990s, Obshchak expanded its sphere of influence. Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yakutsk, Magadan, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - all these cities were the own residences of this criminal community. In all seaports "Obshchakom" controlled the unloading of goods from the Middle Kingdom, cars from Japan, and much more. Wood was smuggled to China, Korea and Japan. The entire fishing industry was under the control of Jem and his criminal organization. Obshchak established huge deliveries of Kamchatka crab and valuable fish species to foreign countries. All regions of the Far East paid tribute to the Komsomol Obshchak. The only one who managed to maintain their independent position was the Primorsky Territory. Here Jem failed to establish his authority. Numerous clashes between members of two criminal groups did not give the long-awaited result for the Komsomol gang. The Primorsky criminal community turned out to be strong and united and defended its region even by means of the murders of the "obschak" gangs, who were called upon to establish their power in the Primorsky Territory.
By 2000, the Jem crime clan numbered 450 active members and controlled more than 300 enterprises in the Far East (and the most profitable ones), including 50 enterprises of federal significance. The group's activities have become a threat to the national security of the country.
The cafe that became the starting point of oblivion
The beginning of the end of Obshchak was the arson of the Charodeyka cafe in the winter of 2001. The arson of the cafe was connected with Jem and his team. According to the official version, shortly before this event, namely on February 20, the criminals discussed a plan on how to organize all this. Local thieves in law Oleg Shokherev (Leshy), Eduard Sakhnov (Sakhno), Sergei Lepeshkin (Lepekha) and their leader and leader Jem took part in the discussion of the plan. Such a plan had the goal of harming three local entrepreneurs as much as possible: Edgard Zaitsev, brothers Rafik and Marat Asaev. These "nanobusinessmen" bought out the slag dump from the metallurgical enterprise "Amurmetall" and subsequently decided not to share their profits from the business with "Obshchak".
The Sorceress Cafe was chosen because the premises in which it was located belonged to the entrepreneur Zaitsev. It was an act of intimidation of a "businessman". On the evening of February 22, 2001, there were a lot of people in the Charodeyka cafe. Mostly there were young boys and girls. They celebrated the eve of the Defender of the Fatherland Day. In the midst of the evening, four masked men burst into the cafe. The investigation later established that they were members of the Obshchak criminal clan: Stanislav Migal, Pavel Revtov, Evgeny Prosvetov, Vladimir Bozhenko. The bandits threw a Molotov cocktail at the cafe. It should be noted that the interior decoration of the room (furniture, walls, floors and ceiling) was all wooden. The flame spread instantly. A terrible panic began. People ran to the only exit, advancing and trampling the fallen. Dry numbers speak of the victims. Four visitors to the cafe burned to death in the fire, four died from burns in the hospital, more than twenty people received severe burns and remained disabled for the rest of their lives. The victims were young people in their twenties. The city fell into a stupor. Such a terrible incident has never happened here. People became afraid to go to public places.
In the case of arson, arrests of the leaders of the group began. During interrogations, the Obshchakovskys did not admit their guilt until the very end. A version was even put forward that this arson was initiated by the law enforcement agencies themselves, in order to destroy the all-powerful Jem and his gang. Evgeny Vasin (Jem), who was one of the first to be arrested, died in the pre-trial detention center from a heart attack almost immediately after his arrest. The criminal community received a crushing blow when it lost its godfather. On December 11, 2003, at a visiting session of the Khabarovsk Regional Court in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the judge announced the final verdict. All the defendants were called guilty and received considerable prison terms.
