Tambov Gang
| Founded | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Saint Petersburg, Soviet Union |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Territory | St-Petersburg, Lenoblast,part of Novgorod oblast,part of Pskov oblast and part of Karelia |
| Ethnicity | Russian, Russian Jews |
| Membership (est.) | Around 600 |
| Criminal activities | contract killing, loan sharking, prostitution, bootlegging, construction management, money laundering, robbery and theft , now legal businesses |
| Rivals | Solntsevskaya Bratva |
The Tambov Gang (in Russian: Тамбовская преступная группировка) is a large gang in Saint Petersburg, Russia. According to common allegations, it was organized in St. Petersburg in 1988 by two men from Tambov Oblast, Vladimir Kumarin and Valery Ledovskikh. The gang is named after their region of origin. Despite often allegations of involvement, Kumarin continues to deny his involvement. Originally the gangsters were recruited from people of Tambov origin and sportsmen, and were engaged in a protection racket.
It became famous in the city after coverage from Alexander Nevzorov in his 600 seconds TV show in the city.
In 1989 the gang clashed with Malyshev's Gang, another leading criminal group of Leningrad, in a bloody armed conflict. In 1990 some of the gangsters including Kumarin was imprisoned for racket, but Kumarin was released from prison in 1993. He later briefly allied with Malyshev to fight the Kazan gang from Tatarstan.
In 1993 – 1995 an internal war between subdivisions of the Tambov Gang developed. On June 1, 1994 Kumarin survived a murder attempt in his car but was severely wounded and lost his arm. He continued his recovery in Düsseldorf (Germany) and Switzerland. By 1995 allegedly he had taken full control over the gang again.
By then the gang had incorporated some of the racketed businesspeople and become interested in investment and fuel trading effectively evolving into a mafia. It also helped organizing several private guard enterprises. Some of the gangsters allegedly became members of the State Duma and the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg, as well as a sector opening in Sydney, Australia allegedly being run by Mikhail Klapanov. Even speaker of the Assembly Viktor Novosyolov gave it his support and maintained close relationships with Kumarin. In 1998 Kumarin became Deputy President of the Petersburg Fuel Company (PTK), the top fuel trading company in the city. In 1994 Petersburg Fuel Company was administrated by the Saint Petersburg City Administration.
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