Yesterday it became known that famous Krasnoyarsk criminal boss Vladimir Tatarenkov (Tatarin), the one extradited by Greece, has been charged and arrested. He is charged with committing assassinations and gang violence. According to the investigation, the gang organized by Tatarin in the 1990's, was actively involved in the redistribution of spheres of influence in the aluminum business in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia. The former owner of the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant, and now deputy Anatoly Bykov, acts as a witness in the trial; Vladimir Tatarenkov repeatedly testified against him in the investigation.

Investigation Department of the investigative committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICP), RF in the Krasnoyarsk Territory indicted Vladimir Tatarenkov on Tuesday evening. He was charged with part 1 of article 209 of the Criminal Code ("banditry") and Art.17 and Art.102 ("Organization of premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances) of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. "Under existing practice, in the case of retraining the prosecution the Penal Code with the mildest punishment is applied. Thus, the organization of premeditated murder in the RSFSR Criminal Code provides for up to 15 years imprisonment, whereas now, a similar article of the Criminal Code includes penalties of up to 25 years of imprisonment", spokesman for the investigation department, Olga Shaman explained the reasons for using different codes. Meanwhile, according to her, still under the former Penal Code, Vladimir Tatarenkov could face even the death penalty, but this measure can not be used because he was extradited from Greece, where such punishment is forbidden.

Vladimir Tatarenkov was brought to Krasnoyarsk for investigation last Sunday. According to investigators, in 1994 he, together with several residents of Sayanogorsk (Khakassia) and Minusinsk (Krasnoyarsk region) organized a gang which took an active part in the criminal war for control of the aluminum industry. In May-July 1994, members of an organized criminal group (OPG) have committing eight murders. In the same year the gang was defused, but its leader, managed to escape. In 1997, the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court sentenced six members of the gang to lengthy prison terms, and another member, Sergey Bakurov was sentenced to death penalty. Vladimir Tatarenkov was detained in Greece just two years later. He was charged with illegal possession of weapons and forgery and was sentenced to 14 years. In July 2010 the Greek government released Vladimir Tatarenkov from custody in advance and on request of Russian prosecutors extradited him to Russia.

According to the investigation, the deputy of the Krasnoyarsk legislative assembly, Anatoly Bykov will be interrogated as a witness in the case of Vladimir Tatarenkov. So far, however, as they explained in the ICP in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, he was not invited in the Department of Investigation to testify. Anatoly Bykov declined to comment on the opportunity to participate in the investigation of the case. According to “Kommersant", in early 2000, Vladimir Tatarenkov testified in the case of Mr. Bykov, and in 2002 he was found guilty of attempted murder of his former companion Vilor Struganov and illegal purchase and possession of a weapon, for which he was sentenced to six and a half years of probation (criminal record was removed in 2005).