A retired GRU colonel is accused of high-profile contract murder.
The investigation into the murder of businessman Nikolai Martynov, committed two years ago in the Moscow region of Iksha, is practically completed. According to the investigation, the crime was ordered by Mr. Martynov's business partner, who contracted Gennady Korotenko, a retired colonel of the GRU, who is now a centurion of the Volga Cossack army, for the role of the killer.
56-year-old Nikolay Martynov - co-founder of the Cyprus company Clinolia Holding Limited, which owns several enterprises for the production of raw materials and equipment for the oil and gas and chemical industries in Russia - was killed on March 30, 2014 near his private home. On the evening of that day, the businessman returned home after attending a performance at the Vakhtangov Theater. Leaving the car, he began to open the gate with a key and at that moment came under fire. The killer's bullets hit Mr Martynov in the head and chest. The driver managed to take the seriously wounded man to the district hospital, but after several operations and intensive therapy, the businessman still died without regaining consciousness.
Having accepted the murder case for their proceedings, the investigators of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Moscow Region first qualified the crime as the result of a conflict situation that suddenly arose in a businessman - under Part 1 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder). However, it was not possible to find the criminals for a long time.
A breakthrough in the investigation occurred, one might say, by chance, and operational measures carried out 400 km from the capital contributed to the disclosure of the crime. On August 5, 2015, in the Avtozavodsky district of Nizhny Novgorod, operatives of the regional FSB and police opened a private garage, which turned out to be literally filled to the brim with army weapons. Among the seized were Kalashnikov assault rifles, assault rifles with optical sights, two machine guns, underbarrel grenade launchers, a collection of daggers, sabers and other edged weapons, countless ammunition different types and caliber and, finally, the Igla portable anti-aircraft missile system.
On the same day, the owner of the garage, a local resident Gennady Korotenko, was detained, who had a Makarov pistol in his pocket at the time of the meeting with the operatives. The detainee himself explained that he had taken the PM to protect the garden plots, in which his organization is involved - "Cossack freeman named after Yermak Timofeevich", structurally part of the Volga Cossack army. The found arsenal, according to the Cossack, did not belong to him, but to a certain "casual acquaintance" to whom he rented out his garage. The lessee was allegedly involved in the supply of goods to gun shops and could use the garage as a staging area for goods.
However, the police versions of Mr. Korotenko, who began the investigation, did not believe - the centurion was arrested on charges of illegal arms trafficking (Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Some time later - apparently, thanks to the expert examinations - the investigation was able to establish that a businessman in the Moscow region had been shot with a pistol seized in Nizhny. In this regard, the Nizhny Novgorod episode was combined with a criminal case of murder and transferred to the proceedings of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Moscow Region. There, the accusation of murder was added to the charges already brought against the Cossack. It is worth noting that after his interrogation the crime was already qualified as ordered and committed as part of a group (clauses "g" and "h", part 2 of article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Four months later, the probable customer of the murder was found and taken into custody - it turned out to be a 35-year-old business partner of Mr. Martynov, Anton Erokhin. According to the investigation, about a year before the assassination attempt, serious disagreements arose between the businessmen. The partners who in equal shares owned Clinolia Holding Limited could not divide the company and its assets in any way. Among them there were several enterprises in the Nizhny Novgorod region that produce acetone, ethanol and other chemical reagents used for the needs of the oil and gas industry - OJSC Sintez, LLC Sintez acetone, etc. First, the co-founders agreed that Mr. Erokhin would buy from Mr. Martynov's share in Clinolia for 2.6 billion rubles, but at some stage of the bargaining, the price, apparently, seemed to the buyer too high. As a result, according to the investigation, he decided to simply eliminate the seller by contracting the Cossack Korotenko for this action, who provided him with security services. The centurion, according to the investigation, agreed to organize and implement the murder for 1 million rubles.
It should be noted that neither the defendants themselves, nor their lawyers, having familiarized themselves with the charges brought against them, disagreed with the position of the investigation. For example, representatives of Anton Erokhin believe that he had no motive for the murder of a partner, since shortly before the crime, the businessmen, according to their version, concluded a "mutually beneficial deal." With the death of mister Martynov, the financial situation of the alleged customer "deteriorated significantly." By the way, this is evidenced by the decision Arbitration court Moscow, which declared Mr. Erokhin, who owed one of the banks as a guarantor for loans over 383 million rubles, bankrupt.
Representatives of the Volga Cossacks, who consider the centurion Korotenko a hero and an example to follow, also disagree with the accusations. The retired colonel, according to them, took part in at least three wars - Afghan, Abkhaz and Chechen. He was awarded the Orders of Courage, the Red Banner and the Red Star, medals "For Courage" and "For Military Merit", and also received the title of Hero of Abkhazia and for a special manifestation of courage and courage - the Order of Leon, a little recognized republic.
As explained by the chairman of the board of "Volnitsa" Sergei Akimov, having detained his comrade in arms with a weapon, the law enforcement officers simply decided to "hang" a murder on him, to which he had nothing to do. Now the investigation, according to the Cossack, is dragging out time under various pretexts, since it has "not a single proof" of the centurion's involvement in the crimes. So, in his opinion, no fingerprints were found on the seized weapons of the centurion Korotenko, and the suspicious tenant of the garage in the Avtozavodsky district, about which he spoke, was never identified.
“Old Man Korotenko is not a disguised man, of which there are many now, but a real ancestral Cossack,” said Mr. Akimov. “In the past, he was a military officer, colonel of the GRU. since then he is in Abkhazia, being a hero and an honorary citizen of this country. "
The Cossack Akimov does not undertake to judge the origin of the Makarov pistol found in Gennady Korotenko's possession, but he is sure that the centurion's weapon was required exclusively for peaceful purposes. For the protection of garden plots in the Nizhny Novgorod region, in which "Volnitsa" is constantly involved, and infrequent business trips to the capital - in Moscow, the centurion worked as a guard for businessmen.
The Main Investigation Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation "Kommersant" confirmed the end of the investigation into the high-profile case, saying that the defendants are now getting acquainted with the materials of the investigation. It is interesting that earlier the Cossack chieftains themselves became victims of the killers. For example, as reported by the Ruspres agency, the authoritative Anapa deputy Sergei Zirinov is now on trial on charges of attempted murder of the ataman of the Kuban Cossack army, Nikolai Nesterenko.
The trial of the Nizhny Novgorod Cossack Gennady Korotenko began in Moscow. Our fellow countryman is accused of the murder of businessman Nikolai Martynov by order of his companion Anton Erokhin. At one time, "LS" has already told about this sensational story.
Murder in the suburbs
Recall that Nikolai Martynov was shot dead in March 2014 in the village of Iksha near Moscow. According to the investigation, the murder was ordered by his business partner, contracting for the role of the killer Gennady Korotenko, a retired colonel of the GRU, who at that time was a centurion of the Volga Cossack army.
Korotenko is a very famous person in certain circles. You could even say legendary. The retired GRU colonel took part in at least three wars - Afghan, Abkhaz and Chechen. He was awarded the Orders of Courage, the Red Banner and the Red Star, medals "For Courage" and "For Military Merit". He is an honorary citizen of Abkhazia, and in 2011-2012 he even worked as an advisor to the honorary consul of this republic in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
So what could connect this person with the criminal showdowns of the capital's businessmen?
So, 56-year-old Nikolay Martynov, co-founder of the Cypriot company Clinolia Holding Limited, which owns several enterprises in Russia for the production of raw materials and equipment for the oil and gas and chemical industries, was killed on March 30, 2014 near his private house in Iksha near Moscow. On the evening of that day, the businessman returned home after attending a performance at the Vakhtangov Theater. Leaving the car, he began to open the gate with a key and at that moment came under fire. One bullet hit the merchant in the chest, the other got stuck in the eye socket. Martynov's driver did not wait for the ambulance to arrive and took him to the nearest hospital himself. A few hours later, the wounded man was taken to Moscow. But after several operations and intensive therapy, the entrepreneur died without regaining consciousness.
A cartridge case from a Makarov pistol was withdrawn from the crime scene. For a long time the investigation was making no headway. In the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Moscow region, the crime was first qualified as the result of a sudden conflict situation in the deceased. Like, he quarreled with someone on the road, and he was shot. But it soon became clear that this version does not stand up to criticism.
Arsenal in the garage
To reveal, as it has now become clear, the contract murder, helped by chance. On August 5, 2015, in the Avtozavodsky district of Nizhny Novgorod, operatives of the regional FSB and police opened a private garage, which turned out to be the largest found in last years caches of weapons. 100 pieces of firearms were found in the garage and component parts to him. There were pistols, shotguns, Kalashnikov assault rifles, carbines with an optical sight, two machine guns with magazines, grenade launchers and even a portable anti-aircraft missile system"Needle"!
The owner of the garage was arrested on the same day. It turned out to be a former GRU officer Gennady Korotenko, and he had a Makarov pistol with him. True, the detainee immediately stated that he had nothing to do with the arsenal, that he had rented out the garage. to a stranger, which could have been related to the supply of goods to weapons stores, and Korotenko's pistol was needed to protect the garden plots, in which his organization “Cossack freemen named after Yermak Timofeevich” was involved.
However, the mysterious tenant of the garage was never identified. It may not even exist at all. And when confiscated in Nizhny Novgorod the weapon passed the examination, it turned out that the Moscow businessman Nikolai Martynov was killed from the "Makarov", found in the garage of Korotenko.
The episode with the illegal circulation of weapons was connected with a criminal case of murder and transferred to the proceedings of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Moscow region. Gradually, the investigators restored the picture of the crime.
The version of the investigation
So, between Nikolai Martynov and the second co-owner of Clinolia Holding Limited, Anton Erokhin, disagreements arose. The partners could not in any way divide the company and its assets, including several enterprises in the Nizhny Novgorod region producing acetone, ethanol and other chemical reagents used for the needs of the oil and gas industry: Sintez OJSC, Sintez acetone LLC, etc. ... At first, the co-founders agreed that Erokhin would buy out his stake in Clinolia from Martynov for 2.6 billion rubles, but at some stage of the bargaining, the price apparently seemed overpriced to the buyer. As a result, according to the investigation, he decided to simply eliminate the seller.
And the "free Cossack" Korotenko, it turns out, not only protected the gardens from thieves, but also provided security services to the capital's businessmen. He also worked for Erokhin. So, according to the investigation, a conspiracy arose between them. Kommersant offered the Nizhny Novgorod citizen to eliminate Martynov for a million rubles, which he did ...
Gennady Korotenko never admitted his guilt. His friends - the Cossacks - do not believe that he could have committed this crime. “Old Man Korotenko is not a mummer, of which there are many now, but a real family Cossack. In the past - a military officer, colonel of the GRU. He was seriously injured, has a disability, but the investigation ignores his illness, since the father is still in Abkhazia on the medical check-up, being a hero and an honorary citizen of this country, "said Sergei Akimov, chairman of the board of" Cossack Volnitsa ". According to him, no fingerprints were found on the pistol seized from Korotenko. That is, there is no direct evidence. However, investigators have a different opinion.
Meanwhile, another, let's say, piquant incident appeared in this case. Lada Ryasnova, who worked as an employee of the control and audit service in Martynov's company, filed a civil claim with the Zyuzinsky District Court of Moscow. She stated that she was with a businessman in civil marriage(the official wife of the oilman had already lived abroad for several years) and gave birth to his daughter Yaroslav. Ryasnova asked to establish Martynov's paternity in relation to her daughter, which would allow giving the child his surname and "realizing the inheritance rights of a minor." At the request of the court, the investigators provided data on the DNA profile of businessman Martynov, which were used in the course of the investigation and filed to the case as material evidence. It was the results of DNA examinations that became one of the key evidence of Gennady Korotenko's involvement in the crime.
War of expertise
The court ordered a study to be carried out at the Russian Center for Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Experts have established the paternity of the murdered in relation to the girl with a probability of more than 99.9%. They also compared her DNA with that of the businessman's 24-year-old son, establishing their paternal relationship with a probability of more than 99.7%.
For their part, the defendants in the case - the relatives of Nikolai Martynov - rejected Ryasnova's claims, and their lawyer Anastasia Tsvetkova, in the past, by the way, a judge of the same Zyuzinsky court, saw in her actions an attempt to fraud in order to obtain part of the inheritance. They also stated that in the last years of his life, the businessman was sterile, and when the girl was conceived, he was generally abroad. As a result, data from Aeroflot, Raiffeisenbank, medical institutions and the World Class fitness club were presented to the court, indicating that during the development of relations with Ryasnova, the businessman was still in Moscow and did not apply to doctors with complaints of infertility.
It is interesting that during the process a certain Nizhny Novgorod resident came to court, claiming that he was the girl's father. True, our fellow countryman could not explain where and when he communicated with Lada, and incorrectly described her appearance eight years ago. The court ordered a DNA examination, which showed a zero probability of paternity of a Nizhny Novgorod citizen, while reaffirming the relationship between Yaroslav and his son Nikolai Martynov.
As a result, the judge Elena Safyan refused Ryasnova's claims in full. At the same time, the decision did not even mention the results of a genetic examination carried out using the DNA profile of the murdered Martynov and confirming his paternity with almost one hundred percent probability, although it was this DNA profile that helped the investigation to bring charges against Gennady Korotenko. It is possible that the lawyers of the accused in court will take advantage of this circumstance.
Thus, it is still problematic to predict how the trial of the Nizhny Novgorod Cossack will end. However, it is known that if the court finds Gennady Korotenko guilty of contract murder, he faces a life sentence.
Efim BRIKKENGOLTS
In the spring of 2014, oil tycoon Nikolai Martynov was killed. The prospective customer was found very quickly - it turned out to be the capital's businessman Anton Erokhin. The wife of the murdered oligarch Nadezhda Martynova became the legal heiress of his entire monetary fortune, however, in the struggle for multimillion inheritance Lada Ryasnova entered, claiming that she had an affair with Nikolai and that their daughter Yaroslav was born in their love union. Watch the issue Let them talk - DNA of the oligarch: millions for illegitimate daughter 01.11.2017
After two DNA examinations, it became clear that the daughter of Lada Ryasnova is the daughter of Nikolai Martynov, but the court made a completely different decision and now the girl does not have her father's surname. Will Lada be able to defend her daughter's rights to inheritance? How to recognize paternity and is it worth pursuing? What does Ryasnova really want: to achieve justice or to get the huge fortune of the oil oligarch? In the studio "Let them talk" today we have to answer these and some other questions.
Let them talk - oligarch's DNA: millions for an illegitimate daughter
Lada Ryasnova came to the talk show Let them talk - the DNA of the oligarch: millions for an illegitimate daughter, to tell why she is trying to recognize paternity. The heroine goes into the studio with a folder of documents:
- I am a lawyer by education. In order not to be unfounded, I decided to take everything with me Required documents... First, I'll tell you how I met Nikolai: I worked in a financial company and I had business meetings with him. One day he said that he really liked the way I work and offered me to work for him.
- For a little over a year, we worked only as a manager and a subordinate, but then we began to communicate more. Later we found out that we both love to skate, and so gradually we began a romantic relationship. Yes, I knew that he was married - his wife lived in France.
- Later I had a conflict with his wife. When my daughter was born, she claimed that Nikolai could not have children. Nikolai did not ask me to give birth to a child for him - everything happened by accident and it was a surprise for both of us. But I was not going to have an abortion and he did not mind - he promised to help us with the child. He kept his word: Kolya provided us all the time.
- Kolya watched his health all the time: he practiced fasting, went in for sports. In his years, he was in excellent physical shape. Nobody imagined that he would not be ...
DNA of the oligarch Nikolai Martynov. Lada Ryasnova in Let Them Talk
- It's been 3.5 years ... Now I can smile, but at that time it was very difficult. The first 2 months I lay face down in the pillow and saw nothing, heard nothing.
The Let Them Talk program conducted its own investigation: it turned out that Nikolai Martynov had ... one more mistress! Olesya Manaeva came to the talk show to tell her story of her relationship with the oil tycoon:
- My story is a little different: we met, then parted, but he invited me to his company. I am grateful to him for everything he did for me. And after me he began to meet with Lada.
Experts in the studio: model Alena Kravets, lawyer Alexander Treschev, public figure Roman Khudyakov, writer Maria Arbatova, retired federal judge Elina Kashirina, National artist Russia Alexander Pashutin, lawyer Vera Sevostyanova, journalist Leonid Mikulyak and others. Watch the online free issue Let them talk - the oligarch's DNA: millions for an illegitimate daughter, broadcast on November 01, 2017 (11/01/2017).
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As it became known to Kommersant, a legal incident that threatens to turn into a judicial scandal occurred during the investigation into the murder of Nikolai Martynov, who worked in the oil and gas industry, committed in March 2014. Retired GRU officer Gennady Korotenko, accused of the crime, was identified by the investigation largely thanks to the results of DNA examinations. Meanwhile, while the defendants in the case are waiting for the start of the process, the ex-employee of the company of the deceased businessman Lada Ryasnova tried to use the DNA samples obtained from the investigation to get the businessman recognized as the father of her daughter, born out of an official marriage. Despite the fact that the experts confirmed paternity with an accuracy of more than 99.9%, the Zyuzinsky Court of Moscow was not convinced by their findings. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation should put an end to this issue.
As it became known to Kommersant, the reason for an unexpected civil trial appeared after the murder of 56-year-old businessman Nikolai Martynov three years ago. Over the years, he worked in the largest Russian and international oil companies, and then organized his own business, becoming a co-founder of the Cypriot company Clinolina Holding Limited, which owns enterprises in Russia for the production of equipment for oil and gas and chemical industry... Late in the evening on March 30, 2014, the businessman returned to his cottage near Moscow in Iksha. A killer was waiting near the businessman's house, who shot him several times. Bullets hit the chest and head, six days later the victim died in hospital. The Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Moscow Region opened a murder case, however, as Kommersant told Kommersant, it was possible to detain the alleged killer only in August 2015. Then the FSB officers for the Nizhny Novgorod region found a garage in the Avtozavodsky district of the regional center, literally filled with weapons and ammunition. The owner of the garage was Gennady Korotenko, a retired colonel of the GRU. He was detained; during a personal search, a Makarov pistol was seized from him. According to him, he did not know about the weapons warehouse, since he had rented out the garage to another person (however, no tenant was found). Meanwhile, the pistol found on Gennady Korotenko's was recognized as the very weapon from which Nikolai Martynov was shot, according to the results of the examination and study of the bullet sleeve. The retired colonel was charged with murder, and the alleged customer of the crime was soon arrested - he, according to the investigation, is another co-owner of Clinolina Holding Limited, 35-year-old Anton Erokhin. According to the investigation, he tried to buy out his share in the company from Mr. Martynov, but the businessmen did not agree on the price, and Mr. Erokhin hired for 1 million rubles. killer to eliminate a partner. The investigation has already been completed, now the defendants are getting acquainted with the case materials.
Meanwhile, Lada Ryasnova, who worked as an employee of the control and audit service in the company of Mr. Martynov, filed a civil claim with the Zyuzinsky District Court of Moscow. She stated that she was in a civil marriage with a businessman (the official wife of the oil worker had already lived abroad for several years) and gave birth to his daughter Yaroslav. Ms Ryasnova asked to establish Martynov's paternity in relation to her daughter, which would give the right to give the child his surname and "exercise the inheritance rights of a minor." At the request of the court, the investigators provided data on the DNA profile of Mr. Martynov, which were used in the course of the investigation and filed to the case as material evidence. It was the results of DNA examinations that became one of the key evidences of the involvement of Mr. Korotenko in the crime.
The court ordered an examination at the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Experts have established the paternity of the murdered in relation to the girl with a probability of more than 99.9%. They also compared her DNA with that of the businessman's 24-year-old son, establishing their paternal relationship with a probability of more than 99.7%.
For their part, the defendants in the case - the relatives of Nikolai Martynov - rejected Ms. Ryasnova's demands, and their lawyer Anastasia Tsvetkova, in the past, by the way, a judge of the same Zyuzinsky court, saw in her actions an attempt to fraud in order to obtain part of the inheritance. They also stated that in the last years of his life, the businessman was sterile, and when the girl was conceived, he was generally abroad. As a result, data from Aeroflot, Raiffeisenbank, medical institutions and the World Class fitness club were presented to the court, indicating that during the period of development of relations with Mrs. Ryasnova, the businessman was still in Moscow and did not apply to doctors with complaints of infertility. Interestingly, during the trial, a certain fellow countryman of the accused Korotenko came to court, claiming that he was the girl's father. True, he could not explain where and when he communicated with Mrs. Ryasnova and incorrectly described her appearance eight years ago. The court ordered a DNA examination, which showed a zero probability of paternity of a Nizhny Novgorod citizen, while reaffirming the relationship between Yaroslav and his son Nikolai Martynov.
As a result, Judge Elena Safyan denied Ms. Ryasnova's claims in full. At the same time, the decision did not even mention the results of a genetic examination carried out using the DNA profile of the murdered Martynov and confirming his paternity with almost one hundred percent probability, although it was this DNA profile that helped the investigation to bring charges against the alleged murderer of the businessman. In their complaints against this decision, the applicant's representatives indicated that the results of the DNA examination had been recognized as one of the main evidence by the plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The point in this case, where the evidence of the investigation is questioned by the court, should be put by the Supreme Court. Lada Ryasnova herself is reluctant to comment on the current situation. "Of course, I will go to the end. Yaroslava knew Kolya as a father until she was four, and here he is not a father - and this is with all the evidence," she told Kommersant, explaining that she was very tired of long trials.
