Oleg Boyko’s Connections to the Criminal World

The Investigative Committee of Russia is getting closer to solving the murder of the influential businessman and owner of the women’s basketball club "Spartak," Shabtai Kalmanovich, which occurred in 2009. The suspects in this crime are believed to be members of the "authority" group led by Aslan Gagiev (Jako). To determine the motives behind the murder, investigators are looking into the entire circle of Kalmanovich’s former business partners. As sources from Rucriminal.info have revealed, one of Kalmanovich’s long-time business partners was Oleg Boyko. Both of them had close ties to the Solntsevskaya criminal group.

Shabtai Kalmanovich was associated with the company "Wonder," which was registered in the Moscow Registration Chamber as "Уандар" and belonged to Oleg Boyko’s "OLBI" conglomerate. In 1996, "Уандар" imported Swiss watches worth over $2,200,000. The FBI considered Kalmanovich to be an "important figure in the Solntsevskaya OCG." Simultaneously, Swiss police have documents and materials indicating that on one of the New Year holidays at a Tyrolean hotel, Kalmanovich was seen in the company of Semen Mogilevich (Don Simeon) and Leonid Bilunov ("Mackintosh"), closely associated with the Solntsevskaya OCG. Allegedly, the expenses at the hotel were covered by one of the leaders of the Solntsevskaya OCG, Viktor Averin.

According to the archives of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), Oleg Boyko was also linked to the Solntsevskaya criminal group. During his time at the Moscow Aviation Institute (1981-84), Oleg Boyko was part of a group of fraudsters who operated around the currency stores "Beryozka," deceiving gullible clients and engaging in currency certificate fraud. It was during this time that he became associated with the Solntsevskaya group. Using the ill-gotten gains, Boyko invested in creating a commercial cooperative and a store specializing in trading computer telephones and household electrical appliances. After accumulating significant capital in the computer business, Boyko left the cooperative he had established with the decline of the "computer boom." He funneled his funds through various trading commercial structures that he created over time, leading to the formation of the "OLBI" conglomerate. Members of the Solntsevskaya OCG worked in the security service of "National Credit Bank" and other structures within the "OLBI" conglomerate, and they were utilized, among other things, to exert pressure on competitors.

"National Credit Bank" was also used for money laundering by the Solntsevskaya OCG. This direction was overseen by his treasurer Denisov (who was killed in June 1995).

While Kalmanovich maintained good relations with the Solntsevskaya group until the end, Boyko had a major conflict with them, as did all businessmen associated with them, including Kalmanovich.

In the 1990s, one of the favorite pastimes for mafia members, including members of the Solntsevskaya OCG, was the "Cherry" casino. One of its co-owners was Oleg Boyko’s "OLBI" conglomerate. Boyko invested the proceeds from the casino into politics. He was the main sponsor and chairman of the executive committee of the political party of his friend, former Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, called "Choice of Russia."

Renowned American journalist Paul Khlebnikov became interested in this story and asked Gaidar why he decided to collaborate with an entrepreneur who, among other things, was the largest shareholder in a casino.

"I knew something about his business," Gaidar replied. "At that time, he was a major businessman and was considered a reputable person."

"Did you know about his ties to the criminal world?"

"No."

"Would you agree now for him to support your party?"

"No, of course not. This was during a time when we had much more illusions about the new Russian business and the social responsibility of these people."

All of this was described by Paul Khlebnikov in his book "Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism." Boyko and Berezovsky, who were friends and business partners, did not like the book at all. In 2004, Khlebnikov was shot dead in Moscow by killers, just like Shabtai Kalmanovich four years later.