Legendary killers Sasha soldier and Lyosha soldier give new testimony on high-profile murders. A new life behind bars of the legendary killer Lesha soldier Sherstobitov biography

10.03.2020

Sherstobitov's Instagram

The account, as indicated on the page, is maintained by his relatives and friends. In most of the photos, the cheerful Sherstobitov poses with a Hollywood smile. There are many photographs from the colony, as well as archival photographs from the past of Lesha the Soldier.

There are also pictures of Alexei with his wife of model appearance - Marina.

In the captions to the photo, Sherstobitov speaks about life values, about the benefits of sports: “All the efforts of a prudent person should be directed not to repairing and caulking their body, like a fragile and holey boat, but to arranging for themselves such a lifestyle, with in which the organism would come into an upset position as little as possible, and, consequently, as little as possible needed to be repaired.

“Writing is not a craft or an occupation. Writing is a calling.” Konstantin Paustovsky The photo was taken with the permission of the colony administration. #alekseysherstobitov #sherstobitov #leshasoldat #writer #books #vocation #way of life #alexeysherstobitov #alekseysherstobitov #leshasoldat #writer #books #vocation #lifestyle

Citizenship:

USSR, Russia

Children: Awards and prizes:

(deprived of award by court order)

Alexey Lvovich Sherstobitov ("Lesha-Soldier") - (January 31, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR). Hereditary officer, holder of the Order "For Personal Courage", was the leader of a conspiratorial group of specialists from the GRU, KGB, Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of the Orekhovskaya organized criminal group, designed to collect, process and use information, as well as to physically eliminate particular complexity. Member of the Orekhovskaya OCG, known as "Lesha the Soldier". On account of his 12 proven murders and attempts.

Biography

Aleksey Sherstobitov was born into the family of a career military man and dreamed of serving all his life. From an early age he knew how to handle weapons, and after graduating from school he entered the Military Railway School. During his studies, he even detained a dangerous criminal, for which he was awarded an order. Then he served in the unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, providing special deliveries. A radical turning point in Sherstobitov's life occurred during the 1993 coup. He was returning home when he was beaten up by demonstrators, believing that he, being a military man, was a threat to democracy. Sherstobitov then realized that a man in an army uniform no longer commands respect from his compatriots, whom he planned to protect even at the cost of his own life. Shortly thereafter, he retired with the rank of First Lieutenant.

At that time, Sherstobitov was fond of power triathlon and regularly went to the gym. There he met Grigory Gusyatinsky (“Grisha Severny”) and Sergey Ananiev (“Kultik”), who at that time was the head of the Powerlifting and Powerlifting Federation and at the same time Gusyatinsky’s deputy in the Medvedkov group. Initially, Gusyatinsky instructed Sherstobitov to ensure the safety of several stalls. Starley proved to be a good organizer, able to solve (including by force) emerging problems. The leaders of the Medvedkovskaya organized crime group appreciated his abilities and offered a new position - a full-time killer.

One of the first tasks of Lyosha the Soldier was the murder of Otari Kvantrishvili. In a few days he was given a German-made small-caliber Anschutz rifle, which he slightly improved by adapting a plastic butt from a blowgun. The name of the victim was not given to Sherstobitov. On April 5, 1994, Kultik brought him to Stolyarny Lane. There Sherstobitov was ordered to go up to the attic, from where a view of the entrance to the Presnensky baths opened. The goal was simply stated: “Several Caucasians will come out. You will need to shoot at the largest one. They turned out to be Kvantrishvili. Having fired three times, Sherstobitov wanted, just in case, to shoot the one walking next to Mamiashvili, but took pity on him when he saw how he rushed to help his wounded friend. About whom he killed, Sherstobitov learned from news releases. After that, he hid for several months - he was afraid that the customers would “remove” him. But the leaders had other plans for him - he received and fulfilled several more contracts. During interrogations at the MUR, he stated that he did not regret anything, since all his victims were unworthy of life. Already at the trial, Sherstobitov said that the leader of the Orekhovskaya organized crime group Sergey Timofeev, who worked closely with the Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group, instructed the leader of the Medvedkovskaya Grigory Gusyatinsky to deal with Kvantrishvili, and he had already transferred the "order" to Lyosha Soldat. Moreover, the killer was only told that it was necessary to eliminate the person who “mortally threatens” the interests of Timofeev.

In 1994, Timofeev had a conflict with thief in law Andrey Isaev, known by the nickname "Painting". Shortly before this, Timofeev organized an explosion at the LogoVAZ office, during which Boris Berezovsky received minor injuries. The oligarch and the authority had a long-standing dispute over the amount of 100 million rubles received from several transactions. Timofeev liked the effect that the explosion produced, and he ordered to deal with Isaev in the same way. Lyosha Soldier installed a car filled with explosives near Isaev's house on Autumn Boulevard. When he left, the killer pressed the remote control button. Isaev himself was injured, but survived. The explosion killed a little girl. Despite the unsuccessful attempt, Sylvester was satisfied with the operation, he personally rewarded Sherstobitov with a TT pistol. And soon Timofeev himself was killed. It is noteworthy that no separate payments for the work performed were provided for Sherstobitov in the group. He had a monthly salary of $ 2.5 thousand, sometimes he was also given bonuses. For the murder of Kvantrishvili, Lyosha the Soldier was awarded the VAZ-2107. Sherstobitov received money only from the hands of Gusyatinsky, while the rest of the group, with the exception of a few more of its leaders, did not know his real name and did not see his face (she came to general meetings in makeup, a wig and with a false mustache). Sylvester himself met with Lyosha the Soldier only once.

After the murder of Sergei Timofeev on September 13, 1994, Sherstobitov and Gusyatinsky left for Ukraine for security purposes, where the Pylev brothers found Lesha the Soldier. They offered him to kill Gusyatinsky, because they wanted to single-handedly rule in the Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group. Lyosha Soldat, as he admitted during interrogations, was delighted with such an “order” - Gusyatinsky was the only person in the group who knew everything about him: places of residence, relatives, real name, etc. The killer shot his boss in Kyiv from a sniper rifle, when he went to the window of the hotel room.

After that, the Pylevs raised Sherstobitov's salary to $ 5 thousand and sent him to sit out in Greece. Sherstobitov was even allowed to assemble his own team. In one of the private security companies controlled by Orekhovsky, he spotted two people. One of them is a former GRU officer, a specialist in radio electronics, the second is a former fireman (he was engaged in outdoor surveillance, got weapons, etc.).

Again, the services of Lyosha the Soldier were needed only two years later - in January 1997. Then the Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group had a conflict with the owner of the Dolls club, Joseph Glotser. Sherstobitov went on reconnaissance to a nightclub located on Krasnaya Presnya Street. Suddenly, he saw Glotzer leave the building and get into his car. The killer had a small-caliber (5.6mm (.22LR) Ruger) revolver with him, and he decided to take a chance and fired through an open window from a distance of 50 meters. The bullet hit Glozer in the temple. The next task of his group was to shadow Solonik, who after sensational escape from the pre-trial detention center "Matrosskaya Tishina" lived in Greece... Sherstobitov's people stuffed his Athenian house with listening devices and conducted round-the-clock surveillance from the cottage opposite. It was they who recorded the telephone conversation in which Solonik uttered the fatal phrase for himself: "They must be brought down." With these words, the Pylev brothers felt threatened, and Solonik was eventually killed.

In 1998, the Pylevs, on the basis of the distribution of business income, had a conflict with the president of the Russian Gold company, Alexander Tarantsev. And again, Sherstobitov was involved to solve the problem. He followed the businessman for almost four months and realized that he, having very professional security, was practically not vulnerable to killers. Tarantsev could only hit the scope window when he was walking down the steps of the office in Moscow. Lyosha Soldier built a remote-controlled device with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in a VAZ-2104. The car was installed right at the exit from the Russian Gold office. Lyosha the Soldier saw Tarantsev descending the stairs on a special display. He aimed at the businessman's head and pressed a button on the remote. But for some reason, the complex device did not work. An automatic burst was heard only a day later, a Russian Gold guard died from it, and two bystanders were injured. Tarantsev survived.

Law enforcement agencies learned about the existence of Sherstobitov only after the arrest of the Orekhovo-Medvedkovo leaders in the early 2000s. Yes, but only in general terms. Ordinary militants spoke during interrogations about a certain Lyosha Soldier, but no one knew either his last name or what he looked like. The Pylev brothers said that they had heard of such a person for the first time. Then the investigators decided that Lyosha the Soldier was some kind of mythical collective image. Lyosha the Soldier himself was extremely cautious: he did not communicate with any of the ordinary militants and never participated in their gatherings. He was a master of conspiracy and reincarnation: going to work, he always used wigs, fake beards or mustaches. Sherstobitov left no fingerprints at the crime scene, and there were no witnesses. The detectives eventually came to the conclusion that Lyosha the Soldier is a myth. And yet, he managed to get on his trail.

In 2005, one of the members of the Kurgan organized crime group (she was associated with the Orekhovskaya and Medvedkovskaya organized crime groups), who was serving a long term, unexpectedly called the investigators to him and stated that a certain killer had once beaten his girlfriend away from him. Through her, the detectives went to Sherstobitov, who was detained in early 2006, when he came to the Botkin hospital to visit his father. During a search of his rented apartment in Mytishchi, detectives found several pistols and machine guns in Sherstobitov's possession. As it turned out, by this time Sherstobitov had long since moved away from the "Orekhovo-Medvedkovo" cases and was engaged in his own criminal business.

Composition of the group:

Alexey Sherstobitov (Soldier) - Art. lieutenant in the Ministry of Defense;

Chaplygin Sergei (Chip) - captain of the GRU MO;

Pogorelov Alexander (Sanchez) - captain of the GRU MO;

Vilkov Sergey - Captain VV.

press portrait

Hair Color: Brunet

Eye color: Brown

Height: 185 cm

Weight: 87-90 kg

Body Type: Athletic

Age: 45 years old

Special Features: None. Looks 10 years younger.

Date of birth: 01/31/1967

Marital status: Single, no family.

Children: Two

Higher education

Specialty: Army reserve officer.

Awards: Commander of the Order "For Personal Courage"

Role in the organized crime group: One of the main participants in the Orekhovskaya group.

Profile: Particularly difficult tasks requiring the ability to wait. Murders. Single.

Arrested: Penultimate in February 2006

Convicted: By two jury trials

Charge: 12 murders.

Basis of accusation: Own confessions.

Term: 23 years. The content regime is strict.

Estimated release date: 02/02/2029

Opinions of those who know him

Traits:

Intelligent, calm, reasonable, patient, sympathetic, honest, devoted comrade, has a healthy sense of humor, optimist, capable of self-sacrifice, monogamous, well-read, not arrogant, not vindictive, not vindictive, suspicious, analytical mindset, penchant for the humanities, rarely listens to the opinions of others, focusing mainly on his own, which he can defend even with some aggression, being jealous.

Arrest and trial

February 2, 2006 - arrest, then 4 years in SIZO 99/1.

First judgment

Jury verdict of February 22, 2008 "Guilty, not worthy of leniency."
The verdict of the Moscow City Court dated March 3, 2008 - 13 years of strict regime, Judge Zubarev A.I.

Second judgment

Jury verdict of September 24, 2008 - "Guilty, worthy of leniency"
The verdict of the Moscow City Court of September 29, 2008 - 23 years of strict regime. Judge Shtunder P.E.

The term by the addition of sentences is 23 years l / s in a strict regime colony with the retention of the title and awards. He was accused of committing 12 murders and attempted murders and more than 10 articles of the Criminal Code related to his activities.

LIPETSK, June 17, news agency UralPolit.Ru. Alexey Sherstobitov, a former killer from the Orekhovo-Medvedkovskaya organized crime group, known in criminal circles as Lesha Soldat, married a psychiatrist from St. Petersburg right in the colony of the Lipetsk region, where he is serving a sentence for the murder of 12 people.

As Sherstobitov's representative told Gazeta.Ru, the marriage ceremony was carefully coordinated with the administration of the colony. The whole process took about fifteen minutes and ended with the exchange of wedding rings. Wearing precious jewelry in the camps is prohibited, so the rings went home to be saved. The newlyweds were congratulated on the wedding by the administration of the colony and the guests who arrived - the sisters of Alexei Sherstobitov - Svetlana and Yulia, childhood friends - Vyacheslav and Maxim, a close friend of the family Vera Khetsuriani and lawyer Alexei Ignatiev. According to the rules of the colony, after the wedding, the killer was given a long meeting with his wife.

As the bride Marina, a psychiatrist who previously worked as a medical examiner, told the publication, she did not hesitate to take the name of her new husband, Sherstobitova. Before marriage, she talked with her spiritual father, who has a dignity in the Russian Orthodox Church, who blessed the couple to continue the family. The newlyweds also asked the administration of the colony to hold a memorable photo shoot, for which the newlyweds could wear costumes in the style of gangsters of the 30s.

Sherstobitov met Marina by correspondence after a divorce from his first wife, Irina, who lived with him for more than 10 years and went through the “dashing 90s”. So, letter after letter, and the lovers decided to combine themselves by marriage.

Aleksey Sherstobitov was born into the family of a career military man and dreamed of serving all his life. So, Lesha Soldat served in the unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, providing special deliveries, went through hot spots and was awarded the Order "For Personal Courage". Then Sherstobitov met one of the authorities of the Orekhovskaya organized criminal group, former KGB officer Grigory Gusyatinsky, whom he himself killed in 1995 on the orders of the new leaders of the group. The ex-special service officer arranged for Sherstobitov to work in the private security company "Consent", where he became a full-time killer.

One of Lesha Soldat's first assignments was the assassination of Otari Kvantrishvili, head of the Athletes' Social Security Fund. The businessman was shot dead on April 5, 1994. In 1997, a killer killed Joseph Glotser, owner of the Dolls nightclub. On June 22, 1999, he also organized an assassination attempt on the head of the Russian Gold company, Alexander Tarantsev. In addition, Lesha Soldat is involved in the murder of Alexander Solonik in Greece, who was called "killer number one" in the press. As they say on the official website of the killer, Sherstobitov also had an order for the elimination of Boris Berezovsky, but seconds before the shot, the “hang up” command followed.

In 2008 Aleksey Sherstobitov was sentenced to 23 years in prison for a total of 12 murders and attempted murders. At the same time, it was not possible to prove his involvement in many other similar crimes. It is assumed that dozens of murdered crime bosses and businessmen are on Sherstobitov's account.

Lesha Soldat was a master of conspiracy and disguise: going to work, he always used wigs, fake beards or mustaches. Now in prison, Sherstobitov writes books and tries on the role of an expert in the field of the ability to kill. So, he wrote his autobiography "Liquidator" in three parts, "The Skin of the Devil" and "Someone else's wife."

© Editorial office "UralPolit.Ru"

The Supreme Court upheld the verdict against members of the Orekhovo-Medvedkovskaya group and its staff killer Alexei Sherstobitov, known by the nickname Lesha Soldier. On account of his 12 proven murders and attempts. Among the episodes considered at the hearings are the attempt on the life of the president of the Russian Gold company Alexander Tarantsev, thief in law Andrey Isaev and the murder of the owner of the Dolls club Iosif Glotser. The most high-profile crime that appeared in court was the shooting of Otari Kvantrishvili, head of the Athletes' Social Security Fund.

The materials of the investigation detail the biography of the most elusive Russian killer Alexei Sherstobitov, on whose account there are only 12 proven murders and attempts. He graduated from a military school, served in the army, and in 1991 was laid off. Then Sherstobitov tried to arrange his life in Moscow, but did not stay long at any job. The former officer went to the gym, where members of the Medvedkovskaya criminal group also worked out. In 1993, Sherstobitov, who received the nickname Lesha the Soldier, joined its ranks.

According to the indictment, in the early 90s, a retired KGB officer Grigory Gusyatinsky, together with his brothers Oleg and Andrei Pylev, organized the Medvedkov group, which included athletes and former military personnel.

In a short time, they managed to take control of a number of commercial structures, after which the group joined another mafia clan, the Orekhovskaya, where the criminal authority Sergei Timofeev (Sylvester) dominated. The Orekhovo-Medvedkovskaya group waged a fierce war with other criminal clans, and after the death of Sylvester in 1994, the bandits, fighting for power, began to eliminate each other.

In total, according to the investigation, during such "showdowns" 57 murders and attempts were committed. At the trial in the Moscow City Court last year, 12 episodes of criminal activity relating to 1993-1999 were considered.

The most high-profile of the murders that appeared in court was the elimination of the head of the Athletes' Social Security Fund, Otari Kvantrishvili. He was shot dead on April 5, 1994 near the Krasnopresnensky baths in Moscow. The offender fired three bullets at the victim from an Anschutz carbine with a telescopic sight.

The murder caused a great public outcry in Russia. Otari Kvantrishvili was a very prominent person in the country at that time. In addition to the Foundation, he also headed the Athletes' Party, which advocated "the restoration of the rule of law in the country."

As follows from the case file, shortly before the murder, Sergei Timofeev "had his eye" on the Tuapse oil refinery. However, Otari Kvantrishvili, who had his own interests there, prevented Sylvester from taking control of the enterprise. They could not agree peacefully, then Timofeev gave the order to eliminate the head of the Fund.

Already at the trial, Alexei Sherstobitov told how events developed further. Sylvester instructed the authority of Grigory Gusyatinsky to deal with Kvantrishvili, and he handed over the “order” to Lesha Soldat. Moreover, the killer was only informed that it was necessary to eliminate a man named Otari, who "mortally threatens" Sylvester's interests." Members of the organized crime group handed him an Anschutz carbine with an optical sight, from which he sawed off the butt. The killer shot the weapon in one of the forests near Moscow.

On the appointed day, Sherstobitov arrived at the Kranopresnensky baths, where influential members of the group Sergey Ananyevsky (Kultik) and Sergey Butorin (Osya) were already waiting for him.

They prudently rented an apartment on the 7th floor, from where the exit from the baths was visible, but Sherstobitov did not fire from this position. There was only one way out of the house where the apartment was located, and he was afraid that after fulfilling the "order" he himself would be killed. The killer took up a position in the attic of a house in Stolyarny Lane. There he scattered cigarette butts, picked up at the station, in order to set the policemen on the wrong track. Half an hour later, when Kvantrishvili was in his field of vision, Sherstobitov fired three shots at the victim - in the heart, neck and head.

It is noteworthy that no separate payments for the work performed were provided for Sherstobitov in the group. He had a monthly salary of $ 2.5 thousand, sometimes he was also given bonuses. For the murder of Kvantrishvili, Lesha the Soldier was awarded the VAZ 2107. Sherstobitov received money only from the hands of Gusyatinsky, while the rest of the group, with the exception of several of its leaders, did not know his real name and did not see his face (Sherstobitov came to general meetings in makeup, a wig and with a false mustache). Sylvester himself met with Lesha the Soldier only once, after another crime.

In 1994, Timofeev had a conflict with thief in law Andrei Isaev, known by the nickname Painted. Shortly before this, Sylvester organized an explosion at the LogoVAZ office, during which Boris Berezovsky received minor injuries. The oligarch and the authority had a long-standing dispute over the amount of 100 million rubles received from several transactions. The effect that the explosion produced was liked by Sylvester, and he ordered to deal with Isaev in the same way.

Lyosha Soldat set up a car filled with explosives near Painted's house on Osenny Boulevard. When he left, the killer pressed the remote control button. Isaev himself was injured, but survived. The explosion killed a little girl. Despite the unsuccessful attempt, Sylvester was satisfied with the operation, he personally rewarded the Soldier with a TT pistol. And soon Timofeev himself was killed.

After the execution of Kvantrishvili, Sherstobitov and Gusyatinsky left for Ukraine, where Lesha the Soldier was found by the Pylev brothers. They ordered him to destroy Gusyatinsky, because they wanted to single-handedly rule in the Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group. Lesha Soldat, as he admitted during interrogations, was delighted with such an “order” - Gusyatinsky was the only person in the group who knew everything about him: places of residence, relatives, real name, etc. The killer shot his boss in Kyiv with a sniper rifle when he approached the window of a hotel room.

After that, the Pylevs raised Sherstobitov's salary to $5,000 and sent him to sit in Greece. Again, the services of Lesha Soldat were needed only two years later - in January 1997. Then the Medvekovo-Orekhovskaya organized crime group had a conflict with the owner of the Dolls club, Joseph Glotser. Sherstobitov went on reconnaissance to a nightclub located on Krasnaya Presnya Street. Suddenly, he saw Glotzer leave the building and get into his car. The killer had a gun with him, so he decided to take a chance and fired through an open window from a distance of 50 meters. The bullet hit Glotzer in the temple.

Lesha Soldat built a remote-controlled device with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the VAZ 2104. The car was installed right at the exit from the Russian Gold office. Lesha the Soldier saw Tarantsev descending the stairs on a special display. He aimed at the businessman's head and pressed a button on the remote. But for some reason, the complex device did not work. An automatic burst was heard only a day later, a guard of Russian Gold was killed from it, two random passers-by were injured.

In the early 2000s, MUR officers detained almost all the surviving members and leaders of the Orekhovo-Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group. Ordinary militants spoke during interrogations about a certain Lesha Soldat, but no one knew either his last name or what he looked like. The Pylev brothers said that they had heard of such a person for the first time. Then the investigators decided that Lesha the Soldier was some kind of mythical collective image.

In 2005, one of the members of the Kurgan organized criminal group (she was connected with the Orekhovskaya), who was serving a long term, unexpectedly called the investigators to him and stated that a certain killer had once recaptured his girlfriend. Through it, the detectives found Sherstobitov, who was detained in early 2006 when he came to the Botkin hospital to visit his father.

At the hearings that took place last year in the Moscow City Court, four defendants appeared - one of the leaders of the group, Oleg Pylev, ordinary militants Sergei Elizarov and Vladislav Makarov, and Alexei Sherstobitov. In addition to the elimination of Otari Kvantrishvili, Iosif Glotser, Grigory Gusyatinsky and attempts on Isaev and Tarantsev, the group members were charged with the murder of the authority of Igor Yurkov, the attempt on the life of a former employee of the Moscow police department Mikhail Fomin, explosions in 1997 in a cafe on Schelkovskoye Highway and in the company Avto-Ray " etc.

Sherstobitov and Elizarov stated that they fully admit their guilt, but asked for leniency. In particular, Lesha Soldat, in his defense, gave the following arguments: he refused to blow up 30 members of the Izmaylovo group, saved the life of one entrepreneur without eliminating her, and, leaving the criminal community, was engaged in a peaceful craft - he worked as a plasterer “I could not refuse (to kill - "Rosbalt"), I saved my life like that, - Sherstobitov said at the trial. “Out of 57 victims, 18 are “their own”, they died for a reason.”

Oleg Pylev objected to this: “Yes, they are dead, but do you think that these were the boys from the sandbox? They were all bandits and the same bandits killed them.” "Authority" agreed with only part of the accusations, and Makarov categorically refused to admit his involvement in the murder of Kvantrishvili. The jury received a list of 78 questions about the guilt of the defendants. Their verdict, delivered on September 24, 2008, was that all defendants were guilty of the charges against them.

On September 29, the Moscow City Court sentenced Oleg Pylev to life imprisonment. Aleksey Sherstobitov received 23 years in a strict regime colony, while Pavel Makarov and Sergei Elizarov were sentenced to 13 and 11 years in prison, respectively. The accusation was left with a verdict, and the defendants' lawyers appealed it to the Supreme Court. But he upheld the verdict of the Moscow City Court.

Alexander Shvarev

Since childhood Alexey Sherstobitov I saw myself only as a soldier. All his ancestors from the 7th tribe considered it their duty to wear shoulder straps. The parents prepared the boy for the same fate, having taught him how to handle weapons deftly as a child. Alexey will then far surpass the entire family clan in professional skill. True, at first he chose for himself a rather peaceful type of troops - railway, and graduated from a specialized military school.

The curriculum of a military railway worker does not include such subjects as conspiracy, organization of surveillance and the manufacture of explosive devices, but Aleksey Sherstobitov later proved to be a master in these applied disciplines, and graduates - former officers of the GRU, KGB and internal troops, only served him .

Having not finished playing Zarnitsa and spies in their childhood, overgrown children, who completely forgot about the oath to serve the Motherland, enthusiastically indulged in their favorite pastime, leaving behind corpses and often replenishing the rows of grave mounds in cemeteries with their remains.

In the ranks of well-known organized crime groups

The beginning of the officer's career of a born military man took place on the Moscow Railway. After the service, Sherstobitov went to the gym, where he intensively “pulled” iron in the company of powerlifters. One of them - "Grinya" through a friend was familiar with the leader of the Orekhovskaya organized criminal group Sylvester and earned a living guarding retail outlets. Having explained on his fingers the material benefits of such an occupation to the young officer, he suggested that he give up his family traditions and for the first time take up the protection of several stall holders.

Aleksey Sherstobitov passed his trial period quite successfully, then, having joined the ranks of the Medvedkovskaya organized criminal group. There he was offered a higher paid profession - a killer. From Alexei Sherstobitov, he turned into "Lesha the Soldier". For his debut, the newly minted killer chose a grenade launcher. The victim was supposed to be a certain Filin, a rather “muddy” person who served in the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, along the way, was engaged in dark deeds, thanks to which the owners of mouse-colored tunics were popularly called “garbage”. Excitement let the debutant down a bit. The grenade hit the car, but did not cause much damage to the victim's health.

The first customer for "Lesha-Soldier" was. The Orekhovskys were friends with the Medvedkovskys, and the boss eliminated those who were objectionable with the hands of another group, confusing the future investigation. The second case of Alexei Sherstobitov entered the history of perestroika times. He was sent to the other world - an iconic figure in business, public life and crime. A shot from a sniper rifle interrupted a completely successful life up to this point. Another criminal general was more fortunate. He was severely injured but survived a car bomb explosion in 2004, but a little girl who happened to be nearby did not.

After this puncture, "Lesha the Soldier" somewhat calmed down his passion for technically complex assassination attempts, and switched to the classics. He fled with "Grinya" in Ukraine to wait until the passions associated with the murder of their patron Sylvester on September 13, 1994 subsided in Moscow. Sherstobitov's new acquaintances, the siblings "Malaya" and "Sanych", offered him their patronage, but in order to start fruitful cooperation, it was necessary to eliminate their former boss "Grinya", which was skillfully executed from a sniper rifle.

Working for the Dust Brothers

"Hrinya" was in a coma for 3 days, after which the Ukrainian resuscitators turned off the devices that ensure the still lingering life of the former KGB officer.

The criminal brothers kept their promise and gave the killer three ex-officers of the Russian law enforcement agencies to help him. The next victim "Lesha-Soldier" had to come close for a shot in the head. She became the owner of the capital's entertainment establishment "Dolls" Joseph Glotser, who very recklessly quarreled with the famous, but turned out to be very vindictive businessman Alexander Tarantsev.

It happened in 2007. A year later, Alexei Sherstobitov began hunting for Tarantsev himself. The businessman turned out to be a tough nut to crack. The organization of his security and the professionalism of the security guard did not give Sherstobitov the slightest chance of success. After prolonged surveillance and much thought, "Lesha-Soldier" strained all his imagination and started constructing from an ordinary VAZ "four" a "hellish machine" that has no analogues in history.

In the car, he placed a machine gun and a drive for a remote control system for firing. Having parked the car in front of the entrance to the Russian Gold company and accurately positioning the sight, Lesha-Soldier disappeared from the eyes of others in the nearest gateway. Tarantsev's life was saved that day by a small technical problem. The machine did not work on the radio signal sent by the killer. But after 2 hours, he spontaneously fired a burst at the security guard of the company, who left the room for fresh air.

Alexey Sherstobitov could become the performer of another historical action. In 1997, he was sent by his leaders to Greece to search for the "Terminator" Alexander Thessaloniki. He, sensing something was wrong, wanted to take countermeasures and "dunk" "Maly" and "Sanych". As a result, he was eliminated by another soldier - "Sasha-Soldier".

The fate of Thessaloniki taught Alexei Sherstobitov a lot. First of all, the ability to exit the game at the right time. In the late 90s, he turned his bloody business and disappeared. Investigators did not have a single lead in the investigation of contract killings. "Lesha-Soldier" always carefully disguised himself, used makeup, wigs, thought out options for withdrawal. The conspiracy helped him create the opinion that his name, which was sometimes heard by operatives, was just a beautiful legend, there was no such thing as "Lesha the Soldier". In fact, he made one fatal mistake for himself - before leaving, he did not carry out a complete “cleansing”. Aleksey Sherstobitov, of course, made attempts to secure his future life by removing his not very reliable assistant Chip, the former "pear" out of fear that his unrestrained drunkenness might untie his tongue.

Lesha the Soldier is no longer a myth

In 2003, during interrogation, “Malaya” “split”, laying out to the investigators a lot that he knew about Sherstobitov and his affairs. He even offered to find the killer and hand him over to the authorities. "Lesha the Soldier" materialized from non-existence. After 2 years, one of the arrested members recalled personal grievances to the former killer.

Andrey Koligov is the leader of the Kurgan organized criminal group. It was he who handed over the Soldier to the investigators

Information has become more than enough. The imminent arrest of the criminal became a matter of technology. In early 2006, Aleksey Sherstobitov was arrested in the visiting hall of the Botkin Hospital. The surprise of the investigators knew no bounds. A modest plasterer from one of the construction sites appeared before their eyes. In the end, the military personnel preferred a trowel to a rifle and chose the most peaceful profession of a builder for himself.

The court in 2 stages awarded Alexei Sherstobitov 23 years of strict regime. The trial drew a line under the list of his victims. In the final version, there are 12 people. The judges took into account the active repentance of the defendant, a complete departure from crime and several episodes of his cases, in which they saw the beginnings of humanity, when he filtered the identities of his possible victims and refused to fulfill the order.

On the left - Sergey Elizarov, on the right - killer Alexei Sherstobitov

The parents of "Lehi-Soldat" made a big mistake. They did not have to "wash" the child's brains with the heroic past of their family name, but to discern his ability to be creative. In prison for 3 years, Alexey Sherstobitov showed the skills of a prolific writer of the detective genre, publishing 3 of his novels through intermediaries: The Liquidator in 2 parts, The Skin of the Devil and The Alien Wife.

In June of this year, he still proved to be a master of outrageousness. At the registration of marriage with a fan of their work, which took place within the walls of the Lipetsk colony, the newlyweds were dressed in the style of gangster fashion during the American Prohibition.

The wedding of Alexei Sherstobitov in the Lipetsk prison

If he had the opportunity to be free, he might have surpassed the extravagance of clothes and behavior of the master of the genre, Sergei Zverev. It is hoped that the creative passion of the plasterer soldier will not dry up in the remaining 13 years of imprisonment.