The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office announced that the Moscow City Court handed down a 21-year sentence in a strict regime penal colony to Rashad Ismailov, who has long been known in criminal circles as a high-ranking participant in organized crime, for the killing of two rivals. The announcement was carried by TASS and subsequently echoed by other regional outlets, reinforcing a sense of closure in a long-running case.
The verdict found Ismailov guilty under multiple provisions of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. He was convicted under Part 1 of Article 210.1 for occupying a peak position within a criminal hierarchy, together with three counts under Part 2 of Article 105 for the murder of two individuals carried out by a group with prior agreement and in a generally dangerous manner, as well as Part 2 of Article 222 for illegal purchase and transportation of firearms and ammunition. The combination of these charges reflects a sustained pattern of involvement in violent crime, and the court’s decision ties a leadership role to the violence that unfolded during the incident.
According to case materials, the events unfolded on May 13, 2009, when Ismailov and his associates allegedly visited a cafe on Izmailovskiy Highway and opened fire on a car carrying two Azerbaijani men. The motive, described in court documents, was linked to a struggle for control over the supply chain of vegetables and fruits into Moscow, signaling the intersection of organized crime and commercial interests in a way that has repeatedly drawn attention to criminal networks operating in the region. Investigators noted that accomplices remained at large, and Ismailov had already been identified as a thief in law since 2013, known by the alias Rashad Gyandzhinsky, a name that has appeared in numerous media reports and court records over the years.
In a related development from late December, authorities reported the death of a participant linked to a well-known criminal group during a public confrontation on Rochdelskaya Street in Moscow. Separate from that incident, a fatal collision occurred in the Nizhny Novgorod region when Vladimir Kostrichenko’s Cadillac Escalade collided with a Gazelle, resulting in the deaths of both drivers. These events collectively underscore the ongoing gravity of organized crime activity in the region and the sustained focus of law enforcement on dismantling violent criminal networks while pursuing accountability for violent acts committed in the name of criminal leadership and control.