The Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow sanctioned the arrest of Sergey Baranov, a crime boss, referred to the criminal community of the late Ded Hasan. Baranov has been on the federal wanted list since June 25 on suspicion of kidnapping of another, larger, criminal authority - Alexander Abbasov. On the same case, the thief in law Artyom Arakelian, known as Artyom Lipetsky, was arrested.

Baranov’s lawyers sought their client to be placed under house arrest. The Prosecutor's Office, in return, considered that on freedom he would be able to put pressure upon witnesses or would try to escape. The judge listened to those arguments and on the basis of testimonial evidence sent the detainee to a pre-trial detention center.

Along with Baranov, there are some more people in custody now on the “case of Abbasov”. Arakelian charged with Abbasov‘s murder. In addition to Baranov, Denis Panin, former personal assistant of Ded Hasan, is also accused of the kidnapping.

The investigators believe that the reason of the kidnapping was in an internal conflict of thieves in law, which killed Abbasov. In 2011, it was considered to assign Artyom Lipetsky the status of “thief in law”. This “coronation” was sanctioned by Ded Hassan, expecting to appoint Arakelian his designated authority in the Lipetsk region. Abbasov (aka Sasha Abbas), who was criminal designated authority in a local district center Chaplygin, spoke against that. There was a long-standing conflict between Abbasov and Arakelian. The criminal designated authority of Chaplygin claimed that he had serious dirt on Artem Lipetsky, which didn’t allow Arakelian to apply for the thieves' rank.

It’s no wonder that Arakelian decided to take measures to neutralize the criminal competitor. He asked Abbasov to meet allegedly only to kick around the issue. But Sasha Abbas knew that the meeting wouldn’t end there. At firs,t he decided to transfer to Ded Hassan information compromising Lipetsky. Another authority, Denis Panin, who was engaged at Ded Hassan’s rigid power actions, offered his help. Abbasov had been acquainted with  Panin for a long time and fully trusted him.

In late 2011, they met in a cafe on Varshavskoye Highway. Abbasov was accompanied by bodyguards from Chaplygin, Panin was with Sergey Baranov. The conversation didn’t go as Sasha Abbas expected. A group of armed men led by Arakelian rushed into the café. Abbasov and his security guards were forced into the car and drove to the service station in Mytishchi controlled by gangsters. Panin and Abbasov’s guards were soon released. Abbasov was left alone with his enemy Artyom Lipetsky. But he was not absolutely alone. Arakelyan’s “fighters” were with him…

 It is still unknown what happened next. But it is known that on January 9, 2012, Alexander Abbasov’s corpse was found in a water waste collector, with five bullets in the skull. It is also known that in 2012, Artyom Lipetsky became a thief in law upon Ded Hasan’s recommendation.

The Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Mytishchinsky region opened a criminal case. In the spring of 2013, the investigation had to be suspended - “for the failure to identify a person subject to criminal liability”. But in July of the last year, the materials came into production of CSUSC (the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation) of the Moscow region. Investigators and detectives found the whole picture of events. On July 24, Denis Panin was arrested. In a month, Artyom Arakelyan was detained. Later, a criminal “fighter”, participated in the showdown, was arrested as well. According to investigators, the kidnapping of Abbasov was organized by Arakelyan, and Panin acted as his agent, who lured Abbasov into the meeting (though he did not know that Abbas would be killed, and therefore he is now charged only with kidnapping). Baranov was one of the assistants of Panin. All those arrested so far refuse to testify, referring to article 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

But the most interesting thing in this situation is unlikely to ever be found out. What was the role of Ded Hasan in the kidnapping and in the murder of Sasha Abbas? It is known that Aslan Usoyan always considered his personnel decisions (and not only personnel ones) to be irrevocable. And he hardly sympathized with the rebellious criminal designated authority of Chaplygin.

The intensive investigation of “Abbasov’s case” keeps within an accurate tendency of the last time. After the murder of Ded Hassan in January 2013, the blows have continued falling upon the group of thieves. The internal fight proceeds in bloody forms similar to a criminal war. It is regularly reported about detentions and arrests. This summer, Gizo Kardava (Gizo) and Nukri Dochiya (Nukri Galsky) were caught by the police. Previously, the same fate awaited Evgeny Antipov (Antip), Oleg Mukhametshin (Mukha), Vladimir Ozersky (Zyuzya), Konstantin Borisov (Kostil), Konstantin Vasilyev (Kostya Shram). Some thieves’ trefs were trapped in Moscow and in the Crimea.

But the result of the measures is not weakening of thieves’ community but rather its expansion. And now the embodiment of Thief in Law increasingly becomes not late Ded Hassan, but presently living Vova Pitersky (aka Igor Glaznev).

In April 2012, Vova Pitersky was sentenced to 15 years for robbery extortion, resulting in the death of the victim. Having disdained all thieves' traditions, Glaznev went for closest cooperation with the power and police. For the years being in jail, Glaznev promoted dozens of different surrenders and confession. Detainees from all over Russia and even from Europe were brought to him to have “talks”. And even before his arrest, Vova Pitersky sanctioned the murder of the kingpin Alick Sochinsky, who had coveted some tourist's objects of the Black Sea. Glaznev’s figure is considered as a clear sign that the concept of “thief in law” recedes into the past. Instead of “harsh but fair Dad”, an unscrupulous person without any concepts but with police collaboration comes. Instead, he is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with the state.