The Cheka-OGPU learned that Vladislav Surkov’s friend, former mayor of Zheleznodorozhny Evgeny Zhirkov, and his deputy, ex-chief of the Balashikha RUBOP Viktor Stepanov, were suspected of covering up the murder. We are talking about a high-profile case in 2009, where the “supervising” authority of the city, Maxim Belyshev, fell victim to a bloody showdown. Years later, another criminal element who headed the Balashikha organized crime group, Valery Smirnov, nicknamed “Yasny,” was brought to justice for complicity in his murder. According to some reports, he was a protégé of the then head of the RUBOP Viktor Stepanov, since every time he managed to evade charges of murder, kidnapping, extortion and racketeering. But this time (he was detained in 2023), investigators accuse Yasny of participating in at least two massacres. By coincidence, the case of the murder of “Bely” (Maxim Belyshev) was based on the testimony of the boss of his former curator Evgeny Zhirkov, who in 2021 was sentenced to 9 years in prison for bribery. Already in the colony, the ex-mayor of Zheleznodorozhny admitted that he and Viktor Stepanov knew that Valery Smirnov ordered the murder of Maxim Belyshev from the words of “Yasny” himself. Now, rather formally, investigators plan to prosecute Zhirkov and Stepanov under Article 316 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Concealing crimes”).
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
Anna Cooper
Specialization: International Criminal Investigations
Description: Anna is a journalist with a global outlook, specializing in uncovering international criminal networks, including human and arms trafficking. Her work involves in-depth analysis of transnational crime and writing comprehensive investigative articles.
