The Orekhovskaya gang (Russian: Oреховскaя группировкa) was a criminal organization based in Moscow active between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
History
The gang was founded in 1988 and was made up primarily of former young sportsmen between 18 and 25. The gang's leader was Sergei Timofeyev, nicknamed "Sylvester" after Sylvester Stallone for his muscular build. Timofeyev established contacts with other prominent underworld figures such as Vyacheslav Ivankov and Sergei Mikhailov.
In 1989 the gang merged with the Solntsevskaya bratva to combat the growing threat of Chechen mafia gangs. However, by 1990 the alliance had split and Timofeyev was again running an independent gang. The gang also acquired a reputation of disregarding codes of conduct in the criminal underworld, starting and ending conflicts as they pleased.
At the start of the 1990s the gang was one of the most powerful crime gangs of Moscow Region and Russia.
In 1993 the group got into conflict with and killed mobster Viktor Kogan, who was moving in on their territory.
On September 13, 1994, Timofeyev was assassinated by a car bomb and the gang split into around a dozen warring factions. These all gradually faded away over time and what was left of the gang was swallowed up by the Solntsevskaya Bratva.
In 2005 eleven former gang members were sentenced to up to 24 years for their involvement in 18 brutal murders, including that of notorious hitman Alexander Solonik. The gang altogether are believed to be responsible for at least 35 murders.