Igor Sirotenko and Miron Mokrov were friends. Even though Sirotenko’s adversaries question this fact as well.

The above stated facts may never have existed. It is also possible that they would never have resulted in a large scale conflict. But in the mid-90s both groups wanted to expand their sphere of influence. And since by that time Togliatti had already been divided between various organized criminal groups, it could only be done through establishment of alliances or by eliminating a competitor.

The Neverov group and the Sirotenko group chose different ways to strengthen their positions. For example, Sirota’s loyalists maintain that their team, if one can say so, formed a long term friendly alliance with Miron Mokrov’s team (Miron). Miron’s group was fairly well off financially. It controlled numerous enterprises in the Avtozavodsky district, and it also had excellent connections with the VAZ plant management. However, in terms of fighting power it was insufficiently strong, and its stronger competitors, like Sergey Neverov, had long planned a takeover.

This is why, as members of Sirota’s organized criminal group maintain, Miron accepted the alliance with them: so that the powerful partner could protect him from trouble. And Mironov’s group granted the Sirotenko gang access to its resources voluntarily, and the latter treated Mironov’s group in the same fashion. Moreover, Sirota and Miron were friends on a personal level. For instance, Sirotenko, while still involved in a conflict with Vdovin and afraid for his life, was hiding in an apartment belonging to Mokrov. And Mokrov also enjoyed Sirota’s protection in times of danger.

Sergey Neverov’s subordinates, who had long eyed Mokrov’s property, maintain the opposite. They are saying that despite the fact that Miron was a drug addict, his brain worked fine and he was excellent at putting together financial schemes. And the reports of his personal friendship with Sirota belong to the realm of scientific fiction. It is just that when Sirota and Ruzliayev learned that Miron was making big money, they took him into the woods, put a gun to his head and told him to share. Miron was scared and started paying toll to the stronger teams.

We cannot say which version is correct. But we know for sure that it was about Miron’s legacy that the conflict between Sirota and Neverov ran high. The groups began to divide Miron’s property back before his death in the mid-90s. They say that the Neverov gang even made a few attempts to harass Mokrov. However, certain circumstances forced them to leave Miron alone for a while.

War that was Postponed?

What happened was this: a war that started in 1994 between the Ruzliayev gang and the allied organized criminal groups divided the city’s criminal community in two factions. Some groups sided with Vdovin (Papa), others with Ruzliayev (Big Man). Also Neverov and Sirotenko found themselves on different sides of the barricade. According to some information, combat operations of the Neverov gang were funded by the Shejkin group and conducted under the aegis of Papa. While Sirotenko initially placed his resources and his fighters at the Big Man’s disposal.

By 1997 the situation at the Great Racketeering War front was quite definite. Papa was outplaying the Big Man across the board and his comrades-in-arms had every right to celebrate their triumph, quoting classical Russian literature: “Hurray! We are pressing ahead, the Swedish are giving in!”

Apparently the Neverov gang decided to take advantage of this and harass the Mironov group allied with Sirota. Why not bite off a slice of property belonging to the enemy in distress? Their thinking must have been, Sirota is acting on Ruzliayev’s side, and if we take something away from him, he will not be too upset. And if he is, Papa the winner will support us, and so will Shejkin and the Tatars with their fighters, and Ilchenko (the Playful) with his guns and money. So Igor Vladimirovich will have to move over and tough it out.

Let us point out that the Neverov gang is quite logical in this case. In the opinion of Sirota’s loyalists, back then they would not have dared to openly confront their group on their own, the reason being that the Neverov group belonged to the best achievers in the business. However, the achieved success brought about the loss of a number of fighting qualities. The Neverov gang had enough weapons, means of communication and surveillance, but they had few gunmen. In this regard they were by far weaker than Sirota, who was more or less OK in terms of weaponry and had a large number of fighters ready to carry out any order of his. Therefore when the Neverov gang started the assault, they most probably counted on the “bayonets” of Shejkin, the Tatars and visitors from out of town. And their calculations fell through. Sirota outplayed them strategically. His group abandoned the ranks of the “anti-Papa” coalition. His relations with Papa were restored, and those with the Big Man went bad. So by the time his relations with Neverov aggravated, Sirota was no longer part of the conflict which in the opinion of his adversary was to secure his superior position. Apparently the potential allies the Neverov gang had counted on politely indicated that in case of hostilities between the competitors they would have to rely on their own forces for combat purposes. Probably with the explanation that there is enough trouble for everyone even without your problems involving just the Ruzliayev outcasts who kill innocent but profitable merchants without thinking twice. Realizing that he was left one-on-one with a strong adversary who was ready to fight to the end for his property, Neverov retreated.

However, the version we have presented here is being flatly refuted by the Neverov gang. They believe that they can protect their financial interests quite efficiently, and can allocate the necessary means. And if someone does not think so, let him try to encroach upon their property.