Akhmed Khamidov, who founded a criminal group that organized murders around the world, has been extradited from the UAE to Russia. The bodies of some victims were dissolved in acid. One of the group's killers, Walid Lurakhmaev (Validol), simultaneously worked for the GRU and carried out assassinations for the intelligence agency.
The Investigative Committee of Russia accuses Khamidov of organizing the murder of businessman Mikhail Lanin in France; the shooting of entrepreneur Maksim Ozirny; and the assassination attempt on businesswoman Tatyana Balzamova in Ukraine.
Khamidov and his wife, Milena Gordeeva, hid in the UAE for almost 10 years. He had a wealth of documents—he and his accomplice, Mikhail Koryak, purchased them on the Sudanese black market. Khamidov lived in a massive apartment in Dubai, and his 10-year-old son even became a star among local child models. At one time, Khamidov and Koryak carried out scams targeting businessmen from Moldova and Ukraine, as well as numerous fugitive Russian officials. Khamidov posed as a man with strong connections in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, and the Prosecutor General's Office. Koryak, meanwhile, posed as a high-ranking official in the Russian Presidential Administration who allegedly frequently vacationed in Dubai.
As the investigation established, Khamidov led a group whose members, posing as high-ranking Kremlin officials, received millions (and sometimes tens of millions) of dollars from businessmen for appointments to high positions, lucrative government contracts, and so on. After payment for the "service," the intermediaries and clients were eliminated worldwide. Mikhail Koryak was responsible for the work of the "officials." According to investigators, Chechen crime boss Valid Lurakhmayev (Validol) was responsible for the liquidation of dangerous witnesses. Khamidov fled the investigation and was wanted by Interpol. The exact number of people who fell victim to the fraud, or who died at the hands of these "fixers," remains unknown. It is known that the criminals stole 200 million rubles paid by businessman Mikhail Lanin, who was seeking a high-ranking government position; 20 million euros deposited in the bank of businesswoman Tatyana Balzamova, who was promised a lucrative government contract for gas transit through Ukraine to Europe; 2 million euros and 38.5 million rubles deposited by a representative of a Saratov Regional Duma deputy in order to obtain a gubernatorial post; and 4 million euros paid by a businessman from Bashkortostan for the position of vice president of Transneft. Lanin was killed by assassins in France, and an attempt was made on Balzamova's life in Ukraine. Also, according to law enforcement agencies, businessman Maxim Ozirny, who acted as an intermediary in negotiations with a businessman from Bashkortostan regarding his appointment as vice president of Transneft, was murdered in Turkey at the behest of the "fixers."
In 2011, an acquaintance offered Ozirny a high-ranking position at Gazprom. He also stated that Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller or one of his deputies should personally meet with Ozirny. They intended to do so in Turkey, where a number of major joint projects were being implemented and various contracts were being signed.
Ozirny fell for the ploy. He flew to Turkey. There, Validol's men met him and promised to take him to a certain residence where Gazprom representatives were waiting. En route, the businessman was shot, and his body was doused with acid.
The rank-and-file members of the "fixers" group have already been convicted. Valid Lurakhmaev was on the wanted list for several years until he was detained in Istanbul in the spring of 2016, carrying documents identifying him as Alexander Smirnov and another man with documents identifying him as Russian citizen Yuri Anisimov. According to the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, this man was actually a GRU officer.
Turkish authorities accused them of executing Abdulvahid Edelgiriev, a relative of Movladi Udugov, in Turkey. However, Russian and Turkish authorities later reached an agreement, and Validol and "Anisimov" were released and immediately returned to Russia.
