Coronation of thieves-in-law in Rome called a 'provocation of a split' among criminal clans

Coronation in Rome despite the ban

A coronation of new thieves-in-law took place in Rome, held despite the ban by Zakaria Kalashov, known as Shakro Molodoy (Shakro the Young), a leader of Russia's criminal underworld. The PrimeCrime outlet calls this event a provocation of a split among thieves' clans. As a result of the coronation, eight criminal authorities received thieves' titles.

Conflicts surrounding the new 'titles'

According to PrimeCrime, some members of criminal circles have stated that the new thieves were initially 'geared toward confrontation': their godfathers are at odds with each other, and within their own clan many are in conflict with one another. The article gives a specific example: 'Both new thieves from Batumi — Ramaz and Chechen — are protégés of Enzo, who slashed Dato Ozmanov and is considered a blood enemy of Shakro's family, so Mindia, who is no small figure in Batumi, is categorically against both of them.'

Context: criminal prosecution of 'overseers' in Russia

The event in Rome unfolds against the backdrop of tightened prosecution of holders of thieves' titles in Russia. In 2019, Article 210.1 'Occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy' was added to the Russian Criminal Code: under it, a holder of a 'title' faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of 5 million rubles. As Liliya Kharina, editor-in-chief of the PrimeCrime news agency, said, last year ten people were convicted under this article, and in total, against persons occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy, about 40 cases were opened. Earlier, details were also published about the secret thief-in-lawlekha Moskovsky.