The trial of Russian mobster Vladimir Tatarenkov, also known as Tatarin, resumed Monday with prosecutor’s witnesses Igor Anisimov and Aleksei Kuznetsov’s giving testimony. Police investigators told the Court of the Krasnoyarsk Region that Anisimov was a henchman of Ruslan Islamov whom Tatarenkov put to supervise other crime bosses in the city of Minusinsk. Kuznetsov’s job was allegedly to bring “soldiers” to their missions. The police thinks he was involved in a contract killing, executed at Tatarenkov's instance. Both Anisimov and Kuznetsov have been convicted of other crimes. They were brought before the court from penitentiary.

Anisimov and Kuznetsov testified that back in the 1990s the police had put pressure on them, both “physical and moral”, inducing to make incriminating statements against Tatarenkov. Anisimov told the court that he saw Tatarin for the first time and had heard of his name only in the course of investigation. Kuznetsov testified that he had not known about Tatarenkov's criminal activities. For him Tatarenkov was just an entrepreneur from Sayanogorsk.

Four other witnesses have also testified that their earlier comments were false, according to the Russian Mafia (rumafia.com). Sergei Bakurov, an alleged contract killer employed by Tatarenkov to execute murder of Vladimir Mustafin, Aleksandr Voitenko and Kirill Naumov, told the court that he had committed these crimes alone, out of personal grudge against his victims. Tatarenkov had nothing to do with the crimes, Bakurov said. Remaining three witnesses testified that they hardly knew Tatarenkov or did not know  him at all. Their statements before the court had been made under pressure from investigators.     

The court is due to hear three more witnesses of the prosecution today. In whole, the court will hear 46 witnesses.