Is it possible to leave the criminal circle. Mikhail circle, biography, news, photos

April 7 would have turned 50 years old to Mikhail Krug - an artist who sang the romance of the thieves', zekov's world. At the zenith of fame, when he had just gotten rich and found personal happiness, his life was cut short by two shots. The murder of Krug on the night of July 1, 2002 shocked many, because the singer fell at the hands of criminals - those for whom and about whom he sang!

The visiting card of the bard Mikhail Vorobyov (the Circle is a pseudonym) was the song "Vladimirsky Central". As the legend says, Michael wrote it on the way from prison, where he was visiting a friend. By the way, Krug dedicated the song to this friend - the authority of Sasha Severny. At first it contained the following words: “Vladimir Central. Sasha Severny. But at the request of the North, he changed his name to the word "wind".
When Krug was shot, a version immediately appeared: they say, this is “murder according to the rules.” Like, to sing about Zekov's life, about thieves and thieves was allowed only to those who shook the term, like the same Tanich. And Krug was not in prison.
However, this version was quickly dismissed by both the investigators and the authorities, who arranged a meeting and made sure that none of them would raise a hand against the singer.

Indeed, because of friendship with thieves in law, the Circle was considered untouchable in his native Tver. They say he did not lock the doors of his own mansion. As in his song "Come to my house, my doors are open ...". His cottage was surrounded by a fence, over which it was easy to climb. The Circle did not have any guards either.
Nothing personal just business?
After the death of the Circle, rumors spread that he allegedly crossed the road to someone in business. In Tver, Mikhail Krug vodka was sold with a bang, it was rumored that he would soon open a chain of restaurants and gas stations ...
But the bard did not even think about business. And vodka is a gift from his first love, who was in the alcohol business. In his youth, Mikhail went crazy for this beauty. And as he went into the army, she jumped out to get married. When Krug became famous, she offered to produce vodka with his name. He allowed it, and quite disinterestedly.
By the way, in his personal life, the singer was unlucky. The first marriage did not last long. A young wife, a model, bore him a son, but tortured him with reproaches that he did not have higher education. And they got divorced. For ten years Michael lived as a bachelor. He remarried only a year before his death. At the time of the death of the singer, the son from his second marriage was only a month old ...

There was also a rumor that the singer was shot in revenge. Mikhail was distinguished by an explosive character, he could fight. Suddenly, someone did not forgive some trick of the Circle? But this version was also dismissed by both the investigation and the thieves.
- The circle was loved in the zone, they forgave him any whims. He was a real idol! - told me one representative of the criminal world.
- If it was revenge, he would have been killed immediately. And the criminals spent the whole day on June 30, 2002 sitting on the third floor of his house, behind a screen. They saw Mikhail (he played billiards), but did not touch him. And late in the evening they attacked his mother-in-law, - the representative of the investigation told me.
The version that it could be a murder for the purpose of robbery was also not confirmed. The criminals broke into the house in the morning through open windows. Krug was away on business during the day, and the criminals could easily open the safe, pull out the money and hide. However, the killers sat all day, dying from the heat, under the very roof ...
According to the investigation, the criminals were sure that Krug would not stay at home that night - during the day he was supposed to perform at the City Day, and then parties, receptions, friends ... But the singer refused to perform, which the organizers of the holiday did not report.
According to the investigators, the criminals did not intend to kill the Circle. It was a racket - they wanted to scare his mother-in-law and thus warn the artist: they say, either you give us part of your income, or ...
There is evidence that Mikhail was hit by a racket before. But Krug sent extortionists and forgot to think about them. And the criminals turned out to be from the Tver Wolves group - thugs who did not respect anyone and did not observe any concepts, for which they were despised even in the thieves' world.
“Apparently, the singer could not even imagine that someone would dare offend him, who makes friends with respected authorities,” says the Tver FSB officer.
Perhaps if Krug had not been at home that fateful evening, the racketeers would have frightened the mother-in-law and retreated.
“Apparently, stupefied from the heat, the killers acted not according to instructions, but as they had to,” says the FSB officer. - They decided that Krug had left. And when the mother-in-law went up to the third floor, they began to choke her. Krug's wife went to see what the noise was, shouted: “Misha, they are killing their mother!” Krug, who lay down in his dressing gown to rest, rushed upstairs from the first floor. The criminals were already running down and shooting. Both bullets hit the owner of the house. In the yard, the killers shot the singer's dog and fled...
On the way to the hospital, Mikhail was still joking with the doctors. He died three hours after the start of the operation on July 1, 2002.
The criminal was identified
The criminal case was suspended many times. It is still not completed, but not closed either. The names of the killers have not yet been named, but detectives have established that they are from the Wolves group.
“Recently, Krug’s wife identified one of the suspects,” a representative of the Tver FSB told me. - It turned out to be a member of this gang, he has already been sentenced to 25 years for other murders. But officially he has not yet been declared the killer of the Circle. The second perpetrator is still unknown.
And in the world of thieves, the story of bloody revenge for the Circle is passed from mouth to mouth.
- The thieves quickly figured out that the "wolves" killed him, - the former criminal told me. - And got even with them. And they decided not two, but more “wolves”. Wet indiscriminately. In revenge for Misha!
“But Krug's wife identified one killer. He is alive and now in the zone!
So he won't be alive for long! You see, we do not conduct investigations and do not make face-to-face confrontations. We learned that they were "wolves", and that's it, the end of the "wolves".
...Be that as it may, I sincerely feel sorry for the talented singer. “I have never been in jail. But I can empathize and sympathize. These two words determined the soulfulness of my work, ”Krug emphasized. His songs are still sung and loved by the people, and the most diverse ones. After all, in addition to thieves, his repertoire contains really sincere, touching songs.

And in our time there is a discussion of the murder of Mikhail Krug, this issue still haunts his fans. Forty days from death famous singer, the recognized king of Russian chanson, were marked by a concert program dedicated to his memory. The event was held at the Khimik stadium in the city of Tver. A lot of popular artists, tribunes packed to capacity with greedy spectators - all testified that the singer was loved and unforgettable.

One of the songs told that the death of a great singer was the result of a robbery, gopstop. Even at the very beginning, people did not leave the confidence that those who could kill Mikhail Krug were simple robbers, whose plan was simply destroyed by the appearance and attempt to fight Mikhail with them.

Although some remained of the opinion that the murder was contract, it was organized by competitors and envious people. This version was rejected almost immediately for many contradictions.

In what year was Mikhail Krug killed

The great Chansonnier is gone July 1, 2002 . Late in the evening, the Krug family returned home and everyone went about their business. It was about twelve at night when Irina looked out into the corridor from the nursery, hearing the muffled cries of her mother. Two robbers in black masks hit an elderly woman on the head with a heavy pistol and tried to strangle her. One of them, noticing Irina, ran after her up the stairs. Hearing her screams, the head of the family hurried to help, as a result of which he was wounded by a shot and fell to the floor unconscious.

Irina, meanwhile, ran to the neighbors, and no one will ever know what happened between the singer and the criminals. Investigators in a pool of blood on the floor noticed a lot of footprints of the villains and Mikhail's bare feet. Most likely, waking up, he entered into unequal fight, as a result of which he was again injured. When the attackers fled, Krug hurried to the neighbors and was urgently taken away by an ambulance called to the department of the city hospital. However, despite the numerous efforts of doctors, the great talent left this world by morning.

Murder committed by scumbags?

The work of Mikhail Krug was devoted to crime. The main characters of his works were ordinary criminals (thieves, robbers) and prostitutes.

However one version of the murder says that it was the robbers who took the life of the Circle. Perhaps they were non-professionals who decided to profit from someone else's good and did not expect to find the owners of the house. Or maybe the robbery was pre-planned by experienced villains.

1. Firstly, the TT pistol, which, moreover, according to the conclusions of the examination, was without a silencer, is the most serious professional weapon, and it is very difficult to get it.
2. Secondly, the time of the attack was chosen perfectly: around 24:00 the whole city gathered on the square in anticipation of the festive fireworks.
3. Thirdly, according to the neighbors, shortly before the fatal incident, two cars drove up to the cottage, which disappeared a short time after the shots were fired.

Such organization can serve proof of the professionalism of the killers. Although the fact is not overlooked that ordinary scumbags could afford to hire good cars and take a gun as collateral, hoping to pay off part of the stolen amount.

Was a mysterious group involved in the murder?

Such a version arose as a result of similar attacks observed before and after the tragic day of the death of the king of chanson according to the standard scenario. A few days before the death of the singer, a major robbery was committed in a cottage near the place of residence of Mikhail's family. A few days later it happened again, only now in the firm's downtown office.

The victims, whom the villains tightly tied, claim that the abductors were in black masks, one of them had a Caucasian accent, and they also had a gun.

Both scenarios are similar to what happened in the singer's house, the only difference is the murder. Perhaps this would not have happened if it were not for an unsuccessful attempt to connect Mikhail's mother-in-law and the appearance of his own person, which confused all their intentions. Attempts by the police to solve these crimes were unsuccessful.

Was the murder organized by close people?

There are many supporters of the version that the death of the Circle was of great benefit to none other than his wife Irina . Here is the collected evidence for this version:

• In no interview after the death of her husband, Irina did not mention her love for him, but she was sprayed about the gifts given to her by the Circle. Her ambiguous phrase "After all, he is the Circle ..." spoke a lot, to which she testified that she was interested in him not as a person, but as a star of the Circle.
• Irina told reporters that her husband did not allow her to sing on stage, arguing that a wife should remain a wife. Thus, having got rid of him, Irina opened the door to the stage for herself. What she immediately began to use with great success: a week after the funeral, she already sang in a beautiful voice.
• She received popular name, using her husband's pseudonym, as well as legal access to all his archives. She played a role in the split of her husband's group called "Fellow Traveler", taking away with her half of the composition, which did not take part in a concert dedicated to the memory of Mikhail.
• The killers were only interested in Krug, and did not harm his wife and mother-in-law, who stood in their way first. Also, the wife did not bother to call an ambulance to her mortally wounded husband, he did it himself. And shortly before the murder, there was a serious quarrel between the spouses.

What did you manage to find out?

The investigation into the crime revealed that Mikhail's murder is not an accident at all. Thanks to the work of investigators, it turned out that the villains got into the house in the morning, through the windows, which were open. During the day, Krug's house was empty - a perfect opportunity to take possession of the safe and escape from the scene of the crime.

However, their actions obeyed a completely different logic: they sat under the very roof until evening, tormented by heat and thirst.

Their goal was to negotiate with the singer every month to receive a large share of his income. In order for their victim to agree as quickly as possible, pressure was organized on people close to him - they tried to scare the mother-in-law and wife.

How it all turned out in such a way that the man was mortally wounded, and what was the result of this, is not known to anyone. But law enforcement officers, when asked about the murder of the great chansonnier, Mikhail Krug, answer that notorious criminals belonging to the group acted as killers "Tver Wolves" . These non-humans, who have no shame, conscience and respect for anyone, were not loved even in the thieves' world.

Video about the details of the case

Mikhail Krug, the famous chansonnier and songwriter, was killed on July 1, 2002 in his home in Tver. Five more people were with him at that moment: his wife, mother-in-law, daughter and two sons, one of whom was barely a month old. Before the tragic events, the Circle rested in one of the Tver entertainment venues. Returned home shortly before the attack.

Robbery

One of the versions for what reason Mikhail Vladimirovich could have been killed is a banal robbery. This version is official. Krug, shortly before his death, finished the album "Confession". Just the other day he expected to receive a large fee for this work. Probably, someone was aware of this, and this "someone" decided to take advantage of the situation.

He led the bandits to the house of Mikhail Vladimirovich, but at the same time did not guess exactly with the most successful time of the robbery. The thieves were supposed to rob the Krug's dwelling when he was not at home. But the famous chansonnier returned earlier than expected and found himself right in the center of events.

The murder took place on the night of June 30, approximately after 23:00. The first to suffer was his mother-in-law, who at that time was closest to the door. Then his wife Irina was wounded. Krug ran out to the screams of women and the sound of gunfire. He received 2 bullets, from which he died already in the morning in the Tver hospital.

The version of the robbery is supported not only by the official authorities, but also by people who respected Mikhail Vladimirovich and believed that he could not be treated badly in criminal circles. In their opinion, only a fatal combination of circumstances caused the death of the man who wrote the song "Vladimirsky Central".

contract killing

A different opinion is shared by those who knew a little more about Mikhail Krug and his contacts with the Tver criminals. One eloquent fact testifies to the fact that the murder of Krug could just be a custom-made discharge. Krug's wife Irina later identified one of the attackers that night. It turned out to be someone A. Ageev, a member of the Tver criminal group "Tver Wolves".

The members of this gang were widely known in Tver precisely as executors of contract killings. This was their profile. The fact that, under the guise of a robbery, shot Krug in his own house a man who traded in contract killings speaks volumes. Despite suspicions, it was not possible to find out the motives and details of the crime in 2002 (or it was not profitable for someone).

Details 10 years after the crime

A decade later, some details of this case began to emerge. One of the criminals, sentenced to life imprisonment, testified. He said for the first time directly about what many suspected back in 2002: Mikhail Krug was destroyed by order.

Some details of the case reopened in September 2012 became known to the press. It turned out that in the spring of 2003, a “showdown” took place between the members of the gangster group. Someone A. Osipov, a killer nicknamed “Volkov”, shot dead another bandit, D. Veselov, nicknamed “Vesel”, in the wilderness outside the city.

Osipov received from the future victim compromising information on some major authority that stood in the way of another gang. But the killer had another reason to shoot Veselov. He wanted to avenge Krug, who was killed in 2002. It turned out that Veselov knew the "customer". He was Criminal authority Kostenko.

Didn't want to pay

At the time of the heyday of his popularity, the Circle received very good fees. Kostenko demanded that the singer pay him a "share" from each concert. Mikhail Vladimirovich refused to pay tribute. For this, Kostenko brought thieves-killers to his house. The goal was not a robbery, but to intimidate the singer so that he would become more accommodating. Racket - the cause of many murders in the 90s - put an end to the life of Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug.

Chansonnier suffered only because he was at home at the wrong time. The killers were forced to shoot him. Soon, the killer of the Circle himself was in the grave. His bones were found only 10 years later, on a tip from one "life-sentenced" member of the Tver Wolves gang. In the criminal environment, Mikhail Krug was respected, and therefore they avenged his murder, without waiting for proceedings from the authorities. That's the way it is in this environment.

Monday, early morning, July 1, 2002. Tver departs from the next celebration of the City Day. In his country house crime boss Alexander Kostenko - "Scrap", "Ivanych" - plays chess with the killer of the gang "Volkov" Alexander Osipov - "Wolf Cub", "Younger Wolf". Nearby is the father of "Teen Wolf", a bald, powerful man with a dangerous squint of his eyes - Anatoly Osipov - "Skull", "Shaman", leader of the combat wing of the killers of the Volkov gang, which was completely subordinate to "Crowbar".

Phone call, Kostenko picks up the phone.

The circle was killed! - sounds on the other end of the wire.

I didn’t order like that ... - the authority breaks out in response ...

So, ten years after these events, Alexander Osipov told the investigator "Teen Wolf". Sentenced to life imprisonment, he decided to tell everything as it was, to reveal the secret of the murder of the Circle, he had nothing to lose.

Kostenko was then very frightened, - the “Wolf cub” explained to the investigator and continued without looking back.

Murder in detail

On the evening of June 30, 2002, Mikhail Krug, having given a concert at the City Day, decided not to stay for the festive fireworks and returned home earlier than planned. In a house on the outskirts of Tver, there was a chansonnier's mother-in-law, his wife Irina and three children - two from their first marriages and a joint child.

Around midnight, the mother-in-law climbed a steep two-span staircase to the billiard room on the third floor. Before that, Krug was sitting there - he played the guitar a little, fiddled with the game console ... Then Irina called him. It was time to go to bed, and the mother-in-law began to spread out the sofa for herself. At that moment, two people attacked the woman from behind. Hearing the noise upstairs, Irina Krug decided that her mother was unwell and ran to the billiard room. Having slightly opened the door, she saw how two big men with weapons were beating her mother.

Misha, mother is being killed! - breaking through the horror, Irina shouted and ran to her husband.

Michael was already in the bedroom. After a couple of seconds, he intercepted Irina on the stairs and, covering himself, began to take her to the first floor. Following, from the flight of stairs, shots were fired. In the back. It was inconvenient for the bandits to shoot - the stairs were narrow. One bullet hit the tiled floor, but two still reached the addressee.

The circle was seriously injured, but was alive for some time. He even managed to run to a neighbor who took him by car to the hospital. The chansonnier died on the operating table, on the morning of July 1. The bandits quietly left the house ...

Eight months after the murder, in early March 2003, an emerald-colored Japanese SUV stopped on a country road near Kimr. Two people got out of the car - the killers "Volkov" Alexander Osipov and Dmitry Veselov, "Vesel". Osipov took Veselov to a deserted place under a far-fetched pretext, saying that his father "Shaman" was waiting for them in a village near Kimry.

In fact, Osipov, as he himself admitted to the investigation, wanted to get dirt on Kostenko from Vesel (Veselov was part of the inner circle of Lom's trusted people). For what? He says that he wanted to collect information and hand over that FSB. This would give him and his father the opportunity to become the first, the main, the main ones in the Tver criminal world. It is clear that Osipov, after such a conversation, did not plan to leave Veselov alive. But he didn't kill him for that.

Here's what "Teen Wolf", already on life imprisonment, told the operas under the record in the protocol:

“I took out my PM pistol, pointed it at him, at chest level, and said:

- Dima, calmly, I need information on Kostenko.

Why would you?

- I want to plant him.

Veselov said that the only thing Kostenko fears is revenge.

- From whom, from the brotherhood?

No, revenge for the Circle.

- Dima, did you do it?

Yes, we are, by order of Kostenko.

- For what?

Veselov replied that in May 2002, Krug, my father, was in Kostenko's bathhouse (Anatoly Osipov. - Red.) and Veselov himself. Kostenko at that meeting offered the Circle to pay money from concerts. The circle refused. After that, Kostenko had a plan - while Krug will perform at a concert on City Day, his house must be robbed, and then the stolen property should be returned, thereby Kostenko will benefit Krug, he will become obligated to him and start paying.

Hearing this, Osipov shot Veselov in the chest and head, and buried the corpse. The remains were found only in 2012 - the life-sentenced killer himself indicated the place.

I have been friends with Krug since 1996, when he came to Kimry with a concert. I talked to him. Loved not only his work. I respected him as a person. By killing Veselov, I avenged Krug, ”Osipov admitted in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, we managed to meet with the killer in the Tver pre-trial detention center.

The question remains - who was the second in the house of the Circle. Osipov does not know about this, he only assumes that it was someone Sergei, a friend of Veselov, who helped him control prostitutes on the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway in the Tver region.

It is not surprising that after the testimony of Osipov, the investigation into the murder of Mikhail Krug was resumed in December last year. While the detectives do not disclose the details of the case, as they have not done for 12 years. But, as you know, everything is secret ...

Of all actors stories with the murder of a chansonnier, only Alexander Osipov survived. Now he, like other members of the Wolves gang, is pulling the strap life sentence. Anatoly Osipov, "Shaman", killed in 2005. Alexander Kostenko, "Scrap", killed in 2006. These crimes have not yet been solved.

Un Certain Regard

More authentic version didn't hear

Oleg ZINCHENKO

On the morning of July 1, 2002, I was surprised by the speed of the rumors. As soon as it became known that Krug had been killed, allegations were already flying around Tver about who did it and for what. Although at that moment the operatives at the Krug's house did not even whisper any assumptions.

And then the pages of volumes of the criminal case and years of ignorance rustled. What kind of versions I did not manage to hear during this time. And the thieves sentenced him for “behaving inappropriately” - he didn’t sit, but sings about the life of a thieves. And he answered for the vodka business - he allegedly intended to start producing Krugovka vodka, and in order not to get into the alcohol business, he was punished (by the way, Krug himself told me that he really plans to produce such vodka). For a long time there was a version about an attempt to steal the matrix of a new disk from the Circle in order to demand a ransom from it or sell it to pirates, but they got excited, so they killed the chansonnier. And that these are simple burglars, having confused the cottage, accidentally shot the singer ...

Perhaps, in 12 years, from the versions alone, a multi-volume book can be printed. But what Osipov told, in my opinion, is the most harmonious of all the stories I have heard. It is felt that he says what he knows for sure. And although the investigators - and there will be a platoon of them during this time - are skeptical about the confessions of the killer, they say, they want the case to be dragged out longer so that they don’t move from the pre-trial detention center to the special regime zone, I see Osipov’s version as the most slender and finished of everything that was walking all these years - from popular rumor to confidential stories of people in uniform.