Who was the wife of Igor Malakhov, Aziza’s bodyguard. Seven famous musicians killed by gunfire
I am writing these lines on the eve of a tragic anniversary in the history of Russian show business. It’s hard to call this date an anniversary, but the fact remains: October 6 marks exactly 25 years from the day when the Poet and Citizen (with a capital P) Igor Vladimirovich Talkov “left as a mysterious messenger.” He left before reaching his 35th birthday. He died like a soldier at a combat post, having received a bullet in the heart from those whom he never tired of denouncing in his song repertoire...
Who was Igor Talkov for me? The idol of my youth? No, most likely, an older brother - a person who, without hesitation, will lend you a friendly shoulder in a difficult life situation! And when I, tired of the everyday bustle, put on a disc with recordings of my favorite singer and listen to his quiet, hoarse voice, now mercilessly castigating the vices of our society, now sounding tender and lyrical, I feel how the strength and desire to live and fight are gradually returning to me further... May fans of Vladimir Vysotsky forgive me, but I believe that the work of the famous “rebel from Taganka” is still closer to those whose youth fell on the years of Khrushchev’s “thaw” and Brezhnev’s “stagnation”, but the songs of Igor Talkov are already the property of the youth of perestroika and post-perestroika Russia, to which I have the most direct connection! By the way, on the day of Talkov’s funeral, one of the journalists called him in his obituary “the Mozart of the Russian stage,” referring to the striking coincidence of the dates of birth and death of Igor and Wolfgang Amadeus (exactly 200 years difference). But this representative of the “second oldest profession” had no idea how accurate his analogy was! Just as at one time they did not want to recognize the talent of the great son of the Austrian people and persecuted him in every possible way in words until he was actually poisoned (if you believe the popular legend as presented by A.S. Pushkin), so in our days they did not allow the outstanding representative of the Russian to live people, eventually sending a hired killer to him.
But who killed Igor Talkov, who played the role of Salieri in the life of our Russian Mozart? By posing the question in this way, we risk incurring the wrath of his many enemies (alas, there have always been too many of them). And they will refer to the results of the official investigation into the crime committed on October 6, 1991 behind the scenes of the Yubileiny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, according to which Igor’s death was due to an ordinary accident. Indeed, in the period from January 29 to April 7, 1992, the prosecutor's office of the city on the Neva conducted a comprehensive examination of the events of that tragic day, which established that Igor Talkov died as a result of a blind bullet wound to the chest, resulting from careless handling of the weapon of his concert director Valery Shlyafman. It was this version that was voiced to journalists by prosecutor’s office investigator Valery Zubarev. He also announced the initiation of a criminal case against Shlyafman under Article 106 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR “Murder by Negligence,” which, however, was suspended on June 6, 1992 due to the departure of the suspect back in February for permanent residence in Israel... But such a turn of events did not suited Igor's relatives and friends, especially his widow Tatyana! She, with the help of her friends, conducted her own investigation into the circumstances of her husband’s death and described in detail the last hours and even minutes of his life in the brochure “Chronicle of a Tragic Day,” published in 2002. We present several typical quotes from this publication, accompanying them with our own comments.
Tatyana Talkova (hereinafter - T.T.): “My husband and I had a very trusting relationship, but, not wanting to worry me, of course, he did not talk about the conflict situations that sometimes arose during tours and became more frequent with the appearance in June 91, the new director of the team, Valery Shlyafman... Conflicts flared up every now and then, Shlyafman provoked the guys, and Igor unwittingly found himself involved in resolving such situations... Shlyafman's cockiness was somewhat alarming: either due to his character, or out of a desire to show his significance , to arouse the respect of the guys, he used to provoke everyone and, like a pug, hide behind the owner’s back. Or maybe it wasn’t a matter of character; It’s possible, and most likely, that he was introduced into the team specifically for this purpose...”
Igor’s older brother Vladimir also wrote about the fact that Valery Shlyafman is a provocateur specially introduced into the “Lifebuoy” group in the book “And You Will Bloom... Great Russia!”, published by him in co-authorship with his mother Olga Yulievna in 2001. Then, in June 1991, an extremely tense situation developed in Talkov’s team as a result of the renewal of the troupe of musicians. As a result, Vladimir, who was acting as an administrator, had to leave his post and go to Germany for a while to live with his mother’s relatives, and Shlyafman, who came from nowhere, was hired in his place. Why Igor did this, one can only guess, but, most likely, he simply had no other choice. The fact is that shortly before this he spoke at the presentation of the newspaper “Pamyat”, published by the odious nationalist organization of the same name, and there photojournalists photographed him embracing the leader of “Pamyat” Dmitry Vasiliev, who became “famous” for his public anti-Semitic statements. As a result, information was published in the press that Igor Talkov himself was an ardent anti-Semite. Of course, this was a blatant lie, since the group “Lifebuoy” featured musicians of various nationalities, including Jews (for example, Gennady Berkov), but how could it be refuted? Only by accepting the Jew Shlyafman to the most responsible position in the team!
However, we will continue to quote T.T.’s brochure. and let’s move directly to the description of the events with the participation of Igor Talkov that took place on October 6, 1991 in St. Petersburg in connection with the opening of the local branch of Sergei Lisovsky’s company “LIS`S”: “By the beginning of the afternoon concert, Igor was already at the site of the Yubileiny Sports Palace.” ... He returned at 4 o'clock. His exit was planned around 16:20... And there, even in his absence, a conflict began to arise. The concert had already started, someone was performing. At the beginning of the concert, Malakhov approached the presenter and said that there would be a rearrangement, it was necessary to swap Talkov and Aziza, since she supposedly did not have time to prepare for the exit... The presenter began to explain to Malakhov that this is a whole process and only the organizers of the concert have the right to resolve such issues... Moreover However, under pressure from Malakhov, the presenter conveyed his demand to the administrator and asked to find out if there was an agreement with Talkov so that there would be no confusion. The girl administrator entered Igor’s dressing room, in which several people from the team were already there, and said to costume designer Masha Berkova: “Hurry up, they’re changing places for you, you should leave earlier.” Soon Igor himself arrived from television... Masha hurried him, explaining the situation. He took it completely calmly. I quickly started getting dressed...”
So, Igor Malakhov, the bodyguard and part-time lover of Aziza, who also participated in that concert, unexpectedly demanded that the numbers with the participation of his protégé and Igor Talkov be rearranged. It is unknown how justified these demands were, but no one dared to argue with the national kickboxing champion. As a result, Talkov was simply presented with a fait accompli about the replacement that had taken place, to which he initially did not object and even began to prepare to go on stage... But then, like a jack-in-the-box, “our Jewish friend” Shlyafman appeared, and the conflict that had died down flared up with new strength!
T.T.: “Meanwhile, Shlyafman returns to the dressing room, where Igor was almost ready to go on stage.
- There's some Malakhov changing places for you.
That is, the presentation of information itself was designed for Igor’s corresponding reaction:
- Yes, why is that? Go find out.
Shlyafman goes to negotiate with Malakhov. Returning a few minutes later (everything happened very quickly), he says that Malakhov called him “Vaskom”, threatened him, introducing himself as a “shadow economy businessman”, and also “let Talkov down”, etc.
- Well then go and say that I will either perform my act, or I won’t come out at all.
Thus, the conflict began to acquire an openly fundamental character, and all the talk that Talkov allegedly did not want to give up his, close to the final and, therefore, according to the unwritten laws of show business, more “prestigious” place in the concert - all this absurd... For Igor, it didn’t matter when to perform - at the beginning or at the end of the concert. He came out with a program that immediately focused the attention of the audience on him... Shlyafman’s actions were of such a provocative nature that it is very difficult to believe that they were unintentional... Finally, Igor said: “Call this “businessman” here, let’s talk.” In essence, Talkov was challenged - arrogant, impudent, boorish, outrageous. Being a man of honor, with a heightened sense of self-worth, he simply could not help but accept it.”
It was precisely this “heightened sense of self-esteem” of Igor that Shlyafman’s openly provocative behavior was designed for! He understood perfectly well that with such reckless actions he would only compromise the reputation of his own team and, first of all, Talkov himself, but he continued to further inflame the conflict that had arisen.
T.T.: “16.15. Malakhov, accompanied by Shlyafman, enters the dressing room, begins a conversation in offensive tones, and behaves defiantly. Igor, naturally, could not remain calm in such a situation, and began to, as they say, “get excited.” And this was expressed in the fact that he began to speak more quietly... The guys knew this and, trying to “extinguish” the situation, they began to take Malakhov out of the dressing room. And in the corridor a few moments later the conflict was practically settled. But then Shlyafman appears again and says to Malakhov: “Well, are you tired of fighting?!” Stop! It turns out that he brought the irritated, heated Malakhov to Talkov’s dressing room, knowing that there the conflict could take extreme forms, namely, a fight could happen (and this, at a minimum, would compromise Talkov)? It was he, the administrator, who, out of duty, was obliged to resolve all such issues at his own level and in no case bring their solution to the level of “showdowns” with the artist, and even a few minutes before going on stage.”
Well, as they say, the Moor has done his job, the Moor can leave! Further events took on an irreversible character with the inevitable involvement of Igor Talkov in the conflict that had escalated to the limit, which, it seems, was what the brawler Shlyafman was counting on.
T.T.: “16.17. So, the fateful phrase is spoken. Malakhov takes out a pistol. As if expecting exactly this moment, Shlyafman runs into the dressing room: “Igor, give me something, he took out a “gun” (a revolver of the “revolver” system, loaded, as it later turned out, with three live cartridges - Ed.),” - knowing full well that this time Igor took with him (for the first time!) his gas pistol... It is impossible to imagine that Igor would give Shlyafman a pistol, and he himself would sit in the dressing room when his guys are in danger. “We have our own for his “gun”,” says Igor and calmly, without abruptly, takes the bag, takes out a pistol from there, jerks the bolt, swings the door open and immediately shoots two or three times... By that time Malakhov had already begun to put away his revolver , but then snatched it again. Bodyguard Sanya Barkovsky leaned on him from behind; Two more guys keep up, trying to snatch the gun, twisting his arms. In order to somehow “neutralize” Malakhov, Igor runs up close and tries to hit him on the head with the handle of a gas pistol. Shots are heard from military weapons (later bullets were removed: one from a box under the equipment, the other went to the floor). It is significant that at that moment no one from the police guards of the Sports Palace was nearby... Another, final, third shot is heard. Malakhov's pistol is knocked out. Igor, having dropped his, backs away, pressing his hands to his chest, saying: “How painful!” - walks in a state of shock several steps along the podium towards the stage and falls backwards at the large mirror..."
That's it, finita la comedy! You can lower the curtain and extinguish the candles... However, first you should quickly destroy all evidence from the crime scene. And it turns out that here, too, the “Moor” Shlyafman played an important role!
T.T.: “The weapon turns out to be in the possession of Shlyafman, who hides it in a tank in the toilet room. Further down the chain: Elya Kasimati (Aziza’s assistant), Aziza and... the revolver returns to its owner. Malakhov, unnoticed by anyone, passes through the auditorium, through the rows, finding himself on the street, gets into the car and drives away. Then, in his words, he disassembles the revolver and throws it in parts into the waters of the Fontanka and Moika. [According to the story of costume designer Maria Berkova, who refers to the testimony of bodyguards, the climactic episode looked like this. Malakhov's pistol is knocked out, which Shlyafman immediately picks up. Stepping back, he shouts: “Everyone stand,” and then shoots Igor. He is then known to hide the gun in (or on) the toilet tank. – Approx. ed.]"
In general, our arrow has ripened everywhere! However, let’s not rush to conclusions for now and look at the denouement of this bloody drama.
T.T.: “16.37. The first emergency call was recorded. The program director sends the presenter to stop the concert. In a broken voice, he reports what happened and asks to go backstage to the doctors, if there are any in the hall...
16.39. Two cars drove to the scene of the incident: an “assault” (resuscitation and surgical) and a second (with an intensive care team)…
16.53. Igor is carried into the car. In the medical history at this moment it is written: “Heartbeat, breathing, pulse are absent. The pupils are dilated as much as possible.”…
17.00. At the emergency hospital No. 10, doctors took the deceased to intensive care... Igor had a gunshot blind penetrating wound to the chest with damage to the heart, lung, mediastinal organs, massive, prohibitive, acute blood loss. “You can’t live with such a wound, a few steps and that’s all...” the doctors said.”
Now this is interesting! Judging by the nature of Igor Talkov’s injury, the results of the official investigation into the accident of the incident immediately raise serious doubts. And then these doubts only intensify.
T.T. quotes a fragment confirming her words from A. Kalashnikov’s publication “The Mystery of Talkov’s Death” (“X-Files of the 20th Century”, No. 10, August 1999), from which it follows that Igor Talkov was clearly shot by a professional who managed to interrupt the coronary vessels supplying the heart and cause extensive internal bleeding: “So, the singer’s allegedly “accidental” shot struck and destroyed precisely that part of the heart that is practically impossible to restore in a living organism. Talkov’s death occurred immediately, but the voluntary “helpers”, who rose from the hall in response to cries for help, managed to crush Talkov’s chest, squeezing out all the blood from his heart, after which they disappeared without a trace in the crowd...”
In other words, two unknown “doctors,” in full accordance with the “good old” tradition of killers, fired a kind of “control shot” at the already dead Igor Talkov! But what could all this mean? Let's see what conclusions the author of the brochure in question draws.
T.T.: “I painfully want to find out who really stood behind everything that happened then... The fact that Aziza is a figurehead does not raise any doubts. As for Malakhov and Shlyafman, it seems that they simply had already rehearsed this situation. Sometimes you hear that contract killings behind which the special services have a different “handwriting”... But here, most likely, the task was not just to “remove” an unwanted person, but also to publicly discredit him... The more time passes, the more I I don’t believe in an accident: no one was hurt, but Igor was killed on the spot... Malakhov told Masha Berkova at the trial: “If you only knew what a scumbag this Shlyafman is!” Why on earth if he didn't know him at all? Why did Shlyafman give up the pistol, the most important evidence on which a ballistic examination could be made?.. Why was Malakhov immediately released, believing in his innocence; Why was Shlyafman simply pushed to leave for Israel in order to lead the case to such a dead end?.. I don’t believe the results of the autopsy, I don’t understand why, with a blind wound to the chest, there was so much blood under Igor, from the back. I do not exclude the possibility that the shot was fired by someone else, that the wound was of a different nature, from a longer distance... Shlyafman, at the moment when everyone was calling an ambulance, dialed a number and said two words: “Talkov killed." Who did he call, to whom did he report on the work done?.. I admit that I should not have been allowed into the morgue until the autopsy, but they don’t even let me get acquainted with the case... Apparently, some very high spheres are interested in this ... The only hope is for an independent journalistic investigation.”
Well, let's try to conduct such an investigation! Or rather, we will put forward our version of the murder of Igor Talkov, based on the facts and assumptions given above. Naturally, there can be no talk about any specific persons, with the exception of the same Malakhov and Shlyafman. The most you can hope for is to try to answer the traditional question in such cases: “Quiprodest?” (“Who benefits?”). And it’s not at all a matter of how long ago this “crime without punishment” was committed. It’s just that all the “high-profile” murders in our country, as a rule, remain unsolved. Suffice it to recall how the investigation into the circumstances of the death of Viktor Tsoi, Vlad Listyev or Mikhail Krug was carried out...
So, what do we have “in the bottom line” after reading Tatyana Talkova’s brochure? It immediately becomes obvious that the case of her husband’s murder is “sewn with white thread”! In any case, at least 5 questions arise for the investigative team that issued a conclusion about the accidental nature of Igor Talkov’s death.
1. As mentioned above, in relation to Valery Shlyafman, the main suspect in the death of Igor Talkov, in April 1992 a charge was brought under Article 106 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR “Murder by Negligence” (currently Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Causing death by negligence "), providing for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for a term of up to 3 years. However, he never had to serve even this purely symbolic term, since 2 months earlier he managed to obtain Israeli citizenship. In September 1992, the head of the investigative department of the St. Petersburg prosecutor’s office, Oleg Blinov, arrived on the territory of the “Promised Land”, whose task was to interrogate Shlyafman, who was hiding from the investigation. However, the Israeli Ministry of Justice turned him away, explaining that any investigative actions against citizens of their country by law enforcement officials of other countries are prohibited by law. Blinov later spoke about this in the television program “Independent Investigation,” shown on NTV on July 9, 2000. Subsequent attempts by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation to obtain the extradition of Valery Shlyafman to Russian justice were also unsuccessful... Only in November 2012 did the Russian media manage to obtain an interview with Shlyafman, who by that time had changed his last name and became Vysotsky, about the events of more than 20 years ago. In this interview, he repeatedly emphasized his non-involvement in the murder of Igor Talkov, and called the culprit Aziza’s bodyguard Malakhov, who generally got off with a suspended sentence for the acquisition and possession of firearms. And he responded to the journalists’ offer to come to Russia and give official testimony to the investigative authorities with a categorical refusal. And this despite the fact that according to Russian laws, the statute of limitations even for especially serious crimes does not exceed 15 years (Article 78 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation)! QUESTION: WHAT IS SHLYAFMAN-VYSOTSKY STILL AFRAID OF, IF NOW HE IS NOT SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL LIABILITY AT ALL FOR THE MURDER OF IGOR TALKOV?
2. It is known that on his last tour, Igor Talkov was accompanied by 3 bodyguards - Alexander Barkovsky, Arkady Bondarenko and Sergei Ignatenko, and the first two were directly involved in a fight with Igor Malakhov, trying to disarm him. However, for some reason none of them noticed who fired the third shot from the revolver of Aziza’s bodyguard, which turned out to be fatal for Igor Talkov. In any case, this is exactly what all three claimed during interrogation by the investigator... But how is this even possible? After all, Valery Shlyafman, the alleged killer, was next to them at that moment! And really, none of the three bodyguards could control the actions of their concert director? Or maybe, on the contrary, they saw something that they preferred to remain silent about until their death? By the way, about the “coffin plaque” - this is by no means a simple metaphor, since the fate of Talkov’s three former guards turned out to be no less tragic and mysterious. As evidenced by one of the issues of the newspaper “Gordon Boulevard” for 1996, Alexander Barkovsky was killed in a drunken brawl in a restaurant, Arkady Bondarenko committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of his apartment (for some reason before that, he cut off his index finger on his right hand ), and Sergei Ignatenko, who survived several assassination attempts, is forced to hide under someone else’s name. QUESTION: WHO AND WHY PERFORMED SUCH A BRUTAL PEACE AGAINST IGOR TALKOV’S FORMER BODYGUARDS?
3. According to the conclusion of pathologists, the death of Igor Talkov occurred as a result of a blind bullet wound to the chest, which caused damage to the coronary vessels of the heart incompatible with life and extensive internal bleeding. In other words, the shot was fired with professional precision, but the investigative team in the Talkov case stubbornly adheres to the version that the incident was an accident! Well, let's say that Valery Shlyafman really managed to somehow so accurately hit the chest of a man who always called him his friend. How then was Igor Talkov supposed to die? He would have walked several steps in his death throes, pressing his hand to his heart and bending lower and lower to the ground until he fell face down... But what actually happened? For some reason, Igor fell backwards, and a large puddle of blood spread under him! Where could it come from from the back, if the bullet, as follows from the autopsy report, hit Talkov’s chest and got stuck right in his heart? QUESTION: CAN THE RESULTS OF A PATHOLOGANATOMICAL STUDY OF IGOR TALKOV’S BODY BE TRUSTED?
4. When you read Tatyana Talkova’s brochure, what is first striking is the amazing coordination of the actions of all the secret and overt participants in the crime committed a quarter of a century ago. In fact, first, someone, having sowed confusion among the musicians of the “Lifebuoy” group, forced Igor’s calm and reasonable older brother Vladimir to leave the post of administrator of the group and go to relatives in Germany, and then successfully imposed a bully and brawler on everyone as the new director Valery Shlyafman, who clearly suffered from a Napoleon complex due to his short stature... And how well Shlyafman and Malakhov worked together on that fateful day for Igor Talkov! One can say that they played everything out like clockwork: they started a public scandal over a trivial reason, first dragged Talkov’s bodyguards into it, and then Igor himself, after which they jointly shot the cartridges from Malakhov’s revolver. And when the irreparable happened, our “sweet couple” easily destroyed this weapon - the main evidence from the crime scene. QUESTION: HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE ABOVE FACTS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY DO NOT FIT INTO THE VERSION ABOUT THE RANDOM NATURE OF IGOR TALKOV’S MURDER?
5. When familiarizing yourself with the progress of the investigation into the murder of Igor Talkov, one involuntarily begins to be outraged by some strange helplessness of our law enforcement agencies. To begin with, Malakhov, one of the accomplices in the crime, managed not only to take possession of his revolver again, but also to carry it through the dense chain of police cordon around the Yubileiny Sports Palace, in order to then take it apart and drown it in the river. Naturally, after this, Aziza’s bodyguard could calmly surrender to the hands of justice and pretend to be an innocent victim during interrogations (initially he was suspected of Talkov’s murder, and Shlyafman was involved in the case as a witness)... In short, the investigators fought with Malakhov for a long time, trying persuade him to confess, and in the meantime, the future main suspect Valery Shlyafman successfully obtained Israeli citizenship for himself, preparing to leave the country forever. As a result, when, after a lengthy comprehensive examination of the events of October 6, 1991, the investigation came to the conclusion that the former concert director Talkov was guilty, he had already been living in his historical homeland for 2 months. And all the many years of attempts to achieve Shlyafman’s extradition were unsuccessful... In general, the official investigation into the circumstances of Talkov’s death reached a complete dead end: the only person found guilty of Igor’s murder was inaccessible to our investigators, and they did not even consider other candidates! QUESTION: WHY DID THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE MURDER OF IGOR TALKOV GO THE WRONG PATH FROM THE VERY BEGINNING?
If we try to answer the questions that have arisen honestly and impartially, we will inevitably come to an unambiguous conclusion: ON OCTOBER 6, 1991, BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE JUBILEE SPORTS PALACE, A CAREFULLY PLANNED AND BRILLIANTLY ORGANIZED CONTRACTED MURDER HAPPENED! But who then, invisible and formidable, stood behind Shlyafman and Malakhov, then masterfully controlling their actions? Let's consider the main versions of those events 25 years ago.
Version one, “concert”: IGOR TALKOV FALLED A VICTIM OF A HOUSEHOLD CONFLICT BETWEEN SHOW BUSINESS STARS WHO DID NOT DIVIDE THE ORDER OF PERFORMANCE ON STAGE. This version was actively put forward in the fall of 1991 by many media outlets, accusing singer Aziza of organizing the brawl that led to Talkov’s death... The absurdity and ridiculousness of such statements is so obvious that it does not even require any refutation! The most that could happen during such a conflict would be an ordinary massacre, but not lethal shooting from a military weapon...
Version two, “cinematic”: IGOR TALKOV WAS KILLED DUE TO A CONFLICT WITH THE PRODUCER OF THE FILM “IVAN THE TERRIBLE” ISMAIL TAGI-ZADE. The version was written by film critic Mark Rudinshtein. Indeed, in 1990, Talkov starred in the above-mentioned film, playing the role of Prince Serebryany, but he was initially not satisfied with the director’s concept of the image imposed on him. Therefore, in the end, Igor, in his characteristic decisive manner, refused to complete the matter, and another actor had to voice his role on the screen. Naturally, the hot-tempered and domineering producer of the film did not like Igor Talkov’s adherence to principles, and they had a big quarrel... But does this mean that it was Ismail Tagi-Zade who organized the murder of the rebellious artist? It’s unlikely, even taking into account all the money and connections of this influential film dealer! Why did he have to wait a whole year to commit reprisals against Talkov if he could have done it immediately? And very quietly and without the involvement of strangers...
Version three, “anti-Semitic”: IGOR TALKOV DIED TRYING TO DISSOCIATE FROM THE NATIONALISTS AND ANTISEMITES OF THE “MEMORY” SOCIETY. This version is supported directly or indirectly by a number of journalists. Its meaning lies in the fact that Talkov worked closely for some time with the leader of “Memory” Dmitry Vasiliev, since he was impressed by the slogans put forward by this society about the revival of the Russian national spirit and traditions. However, later it turned out that Vasiliev’s Russophile rhetoric gave off a strong anti-Semitic scent, which seriously harmed Igor’s career in show business: because of his connection with “Pamyat”, he was boycotted by all electronic and print media. And when Talkov was forced to announce his severance of relations with the nationalists and anti-Semites of the “Memory” society, they decided to take revenge on him... The idea is certainly interesting, but doubtful, since the organization headed by Vasilyev has never been popular either among the common people or among our ruling elite countries. Accordingly, this odious organization was unable to organize such a large-scale conspiracy to eliminate Igor Talkov, who had become objectionable to “Memory”...
Version four, “Judeo-Masonic”: IGOR TALKOV BECAME “LAMB TO THE Slaughter” WITH THE ORTHODOX JEWS, WHO CHOOSE HIM FOR ANOTHER RITUAL MURDER. Another popular journalistic version, the reason for which, undoubtedly, was the nationality of Valery Shlyafman. By the way, he loved to emphasize this circumstance in every possible way and even wore a six-pointed “Star of David” on a chain, which, however, did not stop him from demonstrating in public his friendship with the “Russian Orthodox Christian” Talkov (as Igor himself called himself). Of course, such an assumption may seem too fantastic, but it has its rational grains. There has always been a lot of mysticism in the life of Igor Talkov. Let's start with the fact that in 1983, during a flight to another tour, he accurately predicted the circumstances of his death: “I will never die in a plane crash. They will kill me a little later, in front of a large crowd of people, and the killer will not be found.” And exactly a year before his murder, on October 6, 1990, Talkov, who starred in the film “Beyond the Last Line” as the leader of a gang of racketeers, was also shot in the chest according to the script. You can also remember how on August 26, 1991, immediately after a concert at the White House, a man approached Igor and said that he saw a “mask of death” on his face. Finally, on October 5, 1991, the day before his death, Talkov was performing at a concert in Gzhel, and a string on his guitar broke. And this happened around 16-00, i.e. around the time of Igor's murder the next day. So the ritual murder of Igor Talkov, a faithful son of the Fatherland and an ardent patriot of Russia, by the “Jewish-Masons” could well have taken place! Moreover, international Zionist organizations have always had great influence in our country, especially after the October coup of 1917... However, upon closer examination, this version should still be considered untenable, since no conditions for ritual sacrifice, such as this, for example, were met at all. , was the case with the execution of the Royal Family. It takes a long time to explain what we are talking about (all the details are described, for example, in Victor Korn’s work “On the Order of Secret Forces”), so those who doubt it will just have to take their word for it. For now, we will limit ourselves to the statement that the “handwriting” of the perpetrators of the murder of Igor Talkov is strikingly reminiscent of the style of work of our domestic special services. Therefore, let's move on to the fifth and final version...
Version five, “political”: IGOR TALKOV WAS LIQUIDATED AS A RESULT OF A COMPLEX AND MULTIPLE OPERATION BY SPECIAL SERVICES EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE THE RULING CIRCLES OF THE COUNTRY HIS CREATIVITY BECAME UNINTERESTING AND EVEN DANGEROUS. This version has many supporters, but the most thoughtful is the argumentation of such specialists as criminologist Dmitry Shestakov and former KGB officer Mikhail Kryzhanovsky (publication in the Gordon Boulevard newspaper in 2010). It is their reasoning that will form the basis of our hypothesis about how this “crime without punishment” was committed! But first, a few words about the above-mentioned notorious “handwriting” of the special services. Its peculiarity is that actions carried out by agents of the KGB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and now the FSB are always prepared for a long time and carefully, thought out to the smallest detail, but in the end they look as if everything that happened was a pure accident. The murder of Talkov is no exception here. In fact, at first the musicians of the “Lifebuoy” group “suddenly” rebelled, forcing Igor’s older brother Vladimir to leave the post of administrator of the group, and then Shlyafman “unexpectedly” filled the vacancy. And then everything went as if on a well-worn rut: Malakhov “for some reason” decided to swap the performances of Aziza and Talkov, and Shlyafman “for no apparent reason” began to aggravate the conflict that had arisen to the limit, involving an increasing number of participants in it. And in the end, again, he “accidentally” pulled the trigger of the revolver, firing what turned out to be a fatal shot... Just some kind of miracles, isn’t it? But that's not all! In some “incomprehensible” way, Malakhov managed to get rid of his revolver and, as a result, escaped with a slight fright. And the investigation into the case of Talkov’s murder “could not” bring official charges against Shlyafman for six months, allowing him to leave the country without any problems... However, isn’t it time to stop being surprised by all these man-made “miracles” and finally give a clear explanation of the events associated with the tragic death of Igor Talkova?
So, according to Dmitry Shestakov, in the case under consideration we are dealing with a landmark political murder, organized by supranational political and economic structures and carried out using law enforcement agencies and the media. On the other hand, the scientist calls this crime a latent murder, designed to influence Talkov’s colleagues in the pop workshop in order to force them to abandon the social orientation of their repertoire. And Mikhail Kryzhanovsky, specifying these words, adds that the fate of Igor Talkov was already sealed after such hits as “KPSS-SS” and “Mr. President.” He became really dangerous for the entourage of the then USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, and KGB Chairman Vadim Bakatin took over "resolve a question". Systematic preparations began for the operation to eliminate Igor Talkov, in which it was decided to involve Valery Shlyafman, Igor Malakhov and another unknown professional sniper for the decisive shot. And the actions of this trio were to be covered by several groups of intelligence agents, who were required to monitor the actions of Shlyafman and Malakhov, help them escape from justice and in every possible way confuse and slow down the investigation into the murder of Talkov.
So, that’s what it’s all about: THERE WAS ANOTHER FOURTH SHOT (FROM A SNIPER RIFLE IN THE BACK), WHICH BECAME DEADLY FOR IGOR TALKOV! Well, then it’s clear why he received such damage allegedly from the “accidental” firing of Malakhov’s revolver and where the pool of blood came from under him... Now let’s try to bring all the facts together. Let's start with the fact that every contract killing has its customers, organizers and perpetrators. Let's try to go through this deadly "chain".
1. CUSTOMER. Mikhail Kryzhanovsky believes that it was, if not his namesake Gorbachev himself, then at least someone from his circle. But this is unlikely, since after the failure of the GKChP putsch in August 1991 and the removal from power of the CPSU, whose general secretary was also the President of the USSR, the former “Partocrats” had no time for revenge. Feeling that the earth was already burning under their feet, they hastily transferred their untold wealth abroad, preparing for a comfortable existence far from the Motherland that had rejected them... But who could really seriously take on the decision of the fate of Igor Talkov was a certain influential person (or persons) from the retinue of the rising President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin! These newly minted Russian nouveau riche, smelling the smell of easy money, could easily destroy anyone who tried to stop them from filling their pockets with American dollars. The mega-popular Talkov, who gathered stadiums full of enthusiastic fans for his concerts, became precisely such a “persona non grata” for the post-Soviet “masters of life” because of his song repertoire.
2. ORGANIZER. It does not matter which special service began to weave the thread of the conspiracy against Igor Talkov. It could have been the KGB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, some other structure (or all of them together), but in any case, they coped with their task brilliantly, presenting the case as if an accidental murder had occurred, and the culprit was so unknown for certain! We can only guess what kind of work was done. Probably, the following areas were involved: training the direct executors of the “act of retaliation” (in the person of Shlyafman and Malakhov known to us and an unknown sniper group); developing a “scenario” for the murder and monitoring the progress of its execution (the same two “doctors” who performed “heart massage” on the already dead Igor); ensuring the unhindered departure of suspects from the crime scene and the destruction of evidence (including not only Malakhov’s revolver, but also the bullets from Talkov’s body); direction of the investigation into the murder case along the wrong path (in particular, throwing Shlyafman’s shirt with traces of gunpowder burning into his mistress’s laundry basket, when the main suspect himself had already safely emigrated to Israel).
3. PERFORMERS. We cannot say anything about the sniper (it is possible that he has been dead for a long time), so we will immediately move on to the two remaining “killers”. Valery Shlyafman was probably recruited long ago by the special services and introduced into Igor Talkov’s team for a predetermined purpose. In other words, he was completely privy to the details of the upcoming operation and therefore played the main role in the duet with Malakhov... But Igor Malakhov was clearly used “in the dark,” i.e. he was only partially “showed his cards”! Most likely, the intelligence agents initially intended to make do with Shlyafman, a born brawler, who knew how to create conflicts out of the blue, but then they decided to make his task easier by selecting a suitable assistant. And Malakhov, Aziza’s bodyguard, a professional kickboxer, and even a member of the Solntsevskaya organized crime group, who trained in the gym next door to the employees of the 9th Directorate of the KGB, turned out to be simply an ideal figure in this regard! He could have been “unobtrusively” offered to take part in the public discrediting of the “presumptuous” Igor Talkov at one of the upcoming concerts (naturally, there was no talk of any murder), and he was forced to agree, fearing being held accountable for his criminal connections.
All that remains is to reconstruct the picture of the actual commission of the murder. VENUE: backstage at the Yubileiny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg. TIME OF ACTION - October 6, 1991... By the way, a few words about the place and time of the operation to eliminate Igor Talkov. It was already mentioned earlier that there were many mystical coincidences in Igor’s life, but it seems that some of them were simply specially arranged by intelligence agents to better disguise their actions. Did Talkov say in 1983 that he would be killed in front of a large crowd of people? This means he must die while performing in a crowded concert hall! Was Talkov's character shot on the set of the film on October 6, 1990? This means that the same death should overtake him for real in exactly one year!
However, let us return to the above-mentioned place and time and continue our reconstruction of events. We will not consider how the conflict between Malakhov and Igor Talkov developed, since all this is described in detail in the above brochure of Igor’s widow (there is simply no reason not to trust her), but we will immediately move on to the ensuing shootout... As it was established during the interrogation of Aziza’s bodyguard, his revolver there were three live cartridges, two of which were shot by the owner himself. At the same time, Malakhov shot completely aimlessly, so the FIRST SHOT was fired by him into the box from under the equipment, and the SECOND SHOT hit the floor. However, nothing more was required from the “shooter”, who was captured by Talkov’s bodyguards: he fully played his role, drawing into the firefight the one who was soon to die according to the plan of the secret service agents. Moreover, Shlyafman became actively involved in the operation. He snatched the revolver from Malakhov’s hands and fired a THIRD SHOT, aiming at Igor Talkov’s chest.
Igor was on his knees at this time, helping his bodyguards pacify the raging “shadow economy businessman.” Noticing the barrel pointed at him, he involuntarily threw his left hand forward, trying to cover himself from the shooter, but it was too late! A bullet from a revolver pierced through his exposed palm and tangentially entered Talkov’s chest, causing him a serious, but not yet fatal, wound. In any case, Igor still had enough strength to rise from his knees and take a few steps towards the stage... And here the question involuntarily arises: was Shlyafman required to make an accurate shot at all? Of course not! After all, he was not a professional shooter, and then he simply could not get his bearings in the ensuing brawl. Therefore, the task of concert director Igor Talkov was more modest: simply to wound Igor, causing involuntary confusion among everyone, during which a real sniper, hiding somewhere deep in the backstage, should work. And to the greatest misfortune, this is exactly what happened: the fatal FOURTH SHOT was fired from a sniper rifle with a silencer (that’s why no one heard this shot), ending the life of the idol of millions of Russians at the peak of his career!!!
And then everything happened again as Tatyana Talkova describes: false doctors, supposedly performing a “heart massage,” are convinced of Igor’s death, Malakhov leaves the Sports Palace along the corridor created for him and gets rid of the revolver, Shlyafman reports “to the right place” about the successful completion of the operation, and Talkov’s body is already taken by real ambulance doctors to the hospital... And here a new plot twist arises, since another intelligence agent, embedded in the team of pathologists, comes into play. During the autopsy, he must find a bullet from a sniper rifle and destroy it, as well as traces of its penetration into the body of Igor Talkov. Of course, this “noble” mission also went off without a hitch, which resulted in the fact that Igor’s death from a blind bullet wound to the chest was presented to the investigation! This conclusion could have been refuted by Talkov’s bodyguards, who clearly had time to notice that there was another shooter, but they chose to remain silent about this and claim during the investigation that they did not see anything, fearing for their lives. However, as mentioned above, this did not save them 5 years later from cruel reprisals...
Let us briefly summarize our sad story. The murder of Igor Talkov, in addition to its direct purpose, was supposed to solve one more problem: to intimidate our popular performers, forcing them to remove the social orientation from their song repertoire. Did the organizers of the “crime without punishment” succeed? Undoubtedly! How else can we explain the current dominance on the stage and television screens of cute and sugary “pop”, languidly and passionately telling us under the “plywood” about “musi-pusi” and “jag-jag”?
Nothing good can be said about the fate of the three people directly involved in this tragedy 25 years ago. The career of AZIZA, a rising star of Russian show business, quickly declined, since millions of fans of Igor Talkov could not forgive her for even indirect participation in the murder of their idol... And against this background, the position of Talkov Jr. looks somehow strange. Of course, Christian forgiveness is a great power, but you can’t humiliate yourself to such an extent as to sing a duet with the one who, albeit unwittingly, played such a fatal role in your father’s life!
IGOR MALAKHOV’s life went downhill altogether. After his suspended sentence for illegal acquisition and possession of firearms, he broke off all relations with Aziza and his former entourage, left Moscow and settled in a remote village. Leading a reclusive lifestyle, even officially changing his last name to Rus, Malakhov nevertheless married actress Ksenia Kuznetsova and had two children... However, the past, apparently, never gave him peace! The former kickboxer and bodyguard first became involved in religion, and then began drinking heavily, as a result of which he developed diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. In serious condition, he was hospitalized in 2013 in one of the capital’s hospitals, where he died without regaining consciousness in intensive care.
The fate of VALERY SHLYAFMAN has already been written in sufficient detail here. We can only add that even after successful emigration to the “Promised Land,” he continued to fear for his life: he took the surname of his new Israeli wife, changed cities of residence several times, and in every possible way avoided contact with journalists... Only in 2012 did Shlyafman-Vysotsky for the first time gave an interview to Russian correspondents, but categorically refused their offer to return to Russia, although he was no longer threatened with any prosecution. Apparently, the fear of the special services that once recruited him there remained forever in the soul of the former concert director!
And what about Igor Talkov himself? What is his posthumous fate? Unfortunately, there is little comfort here either! The case of Talkov's murder has been suspended indefinitely (in other words, it has reached a complete dead end), Igor's CDs and books are almost never published, and he is practically not remembered on television (even on the days of his birth and death). But on the vast expanses of the Internet, vile libels are constantly being posted about the life and work of a man who gave his life a quarter of a century ago in the fight for a happy future for the country! But even the ancients said: “Demortuisautbene, autnihil (About the dead, it’s either good or nothing)”... However, Igor Talkov outwitted his enemies here too, being born on November 4, 1956, i.e. on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and more recently also on the Day of National Unity! And it turns out that thanks to such a wonderful coincidence (one more of many others), every year on this day we involuntarily pay tribute to his memory.
However, true fans of Igor Talkov always find the opportunity to visit his museum in Zamoskvorechye or his grave at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. And when communicating with each other on forums, they exchange photographs, songs and poems of their idol. And we would like to conclude with one of his poems, with which he preceded the performance of the song “Russia”:
"Someday, when evil gets tired
To rape you, barely alive,
And on your withered brow
The Lord will shed a tear of rain,
You will straighten your broken figure,
As before, you will feel like a messiah
And you will blossom to the envy of all your enemies,
Unhappy Great Russia!”
OH, IGOR, IGOR! HOW WE MISS YOU IN OUR “TALKLESS” LIFE!”
P.S. This year marks not only the 25th anniversary of the death, but also the 60th anniversary of the birth of Igor Talkov. I wonder if our “democratic” media will cover at least one of these events?!!
– a talented musician, poet, film actor and songwriter. At the beginning of his creative career, he collaborated with many Soviet popular musical groups - he wrote lyrics for them. The high-profile murder of Talkov, which occurred exactly 25 years ago, came as a shock not only to his fans, but also to the entire country as a whole.
Circumstances and conflict
The LIS production company organized a group concert of Soviet pop stars on October 6, 1991. The event took place in St. Petersburg, at the Yubileiny Sports Palace. Many others were scheduled to perform at the concert.
On this day, Igor Talkov was not going to perform, because he had a flight to Sochi. But for the sake of the equipment that he needed for solo performances and was available only from the production center LIS"S, he had to agree.
Immediately after arriving in St. Petersburg, Igor managed to give his last interview for television. After the interview, he went to watch the recording of the last concert in which he participated, and from there he went to Yubileiny in a great mood.
ru-an.infoThe conflict that led to that fatal shot began shortly before Igor Talkov appeared on stage. Singer Aziza and her director Igor Malakhov were unhappy with the order of performances at the concert. It was believed that the later the singer performs at the end of the event, the more prestigious it is. At this concert, Oleg Gazmanov was the last to perform; before him, Igor Talkov’s performance was planned, and before him, Aziza’s appearance.
After a loud scandal with the organizers of the concert, Aziza managed to get on stage directly in front of Oleg Gazmanov. Igor was informed about the new sequence of performances by a girl administrator, who assured everyone that the singer took this news calmly.
"Express newspaper" The artist’s director Valery Shlyafman, having learned about the new time for Talkov’s appearance on stage, decided to clarify the details with the concert administration. They reported that Malakhov was the initiator of this, which outraged. He went to talk about this with Malakhov himself, but he was unusually rude. Afterwards, Igor Talkov asked to invite director Aziza to his dressing room. A tense conversation took place there, after which Talkov’s security took Malakhov out of the room.
Murder of Talkov
In the corridor, Malakhov took out a weapon; according to eyewitnesses, it was a Nagan system revolver. Igor Talkov's guards came under gunpoint, after which the singer left the dressing room with his gas pistol. He managed to fire several shots, but the cloud of pepper gas did not reach Malakhov. At this time, the singer’s security took advantage of the moment and managed to knock the weapon out of his hands.
talkov-music.narod.ru A shot was heard in the corridor, and a bullet hit the performer. Witnesses do not have a consensus on who fired and from where. There are three main versions of Talkov’s murder:
- Valery Shlyafman picked up the pistol and shouted “Everyone stand!” and shot at Igor;
- The fatal shot was fired by Igor Malakhov;
- It was impossible to understand who shot.
Murder investigation
First of all, investigators brought charges against Igor Malakhov. On October 10, he was put on the all-Union wanted list. On October 11, he himself surrendered to the authorities and, as journalists claimed, managed to get rid of the weapon. After carrying out a whole range of measures, investigators announced that Malakhov could not have shot at Igor Talkov, and the main suspect was his director Valery Shlyafman, who by that time had already moved to Israel for permanent residence.
For many years, the Russian prosecutor's office could not obtain permission from the Israeli authorities to interrogate a citizen of the country, so the investigation stood still. In 1997, Russia and Israel entered into an intergovernmental agreement on joint law enforcement efforts against organized crime, which allowed the investigation to continue.
"Scandals" The Israeli prosecutor's office said that if they consider the evidence strong enough, Valery will be tried according to Israeli laws, but the case has not progressed. The investigator who investigated the murder of Igor Talkov said that Shlyafman is not guilty.
Aziza
Singer Aziza does not like to talk about the murder of Igor Talkov. Many are sure that the tragedy put an end to the career of the aspiring singer. The Russians could not forgive the fact that the conflict began because of her speech. The investigation also established that Aziza handed over the weapon to Malakhov, who ran out into the street and threw it away.
During the tragic events, Aziza was pregnant, but during the brawl she tried to protect Malakhov and was hit in the stomach. This caused the loss of the child.
The singer claims that she saw Valery Shlyafman trying to hide the pistol from which the shot was fired in the toilet flush cistern, but she stopped him and gave the weapon to Ella Kasimati.
The murder of Igor Talkov was discussed in the press for a long time, several documentaries were made and many unofficial investigations were conducted.
The murder of Igor Talkov remains one of the most resonant and mysterious crimes of the late 20th century. It still remains unsolved despite the fact that a lot of materials and witness testimony have been collected. Regarding the questions of why Igor died and who was the initiator of this murder, there are only versions.
In fact
All that is known 100% is the actual circumstances of death. Talkov was shot on October 6, 1991 in St. Petersburg, at the Yubileiny Palace at about 16:00 right before his performance. A scuffle occurred between the singer’s guards and Igor Malakhov, a friend of the then popular singer Aziza. Talkov took part in the conflict, as a result of which he died. Malakhov shot the singer with a pistol. The weapon was never found subsequently.
What preceded the murder
The murder of Talkov, which occurred under such strange and absurd circumstances, had a long backstory. Probably, shortly before Igor’s death, someone threatened him. This is evidenced by the fact that Talkov turned to a serious government agency for help (the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the KGB, it is not known exactly). The singer asked for permission to carry weapons. He also needed personal protection. Both of Talkov's requests were granted. It is not known who specifically threatened the singer.
At the same time, Talkov begins working with a new commercial director (since August 1991). It was a certain Valery Shlyafman. Many of the singer’s colleagues noted that Shlyafman constantly aggravated the situation around Talkov and provoked all sorts of conflicts.
Around the same time, the singer was forced to fire his former driver, who was a very loyal person to him. After this, Talkov began to receive unambiguous threats.
Sequence of speeches
At that concert at Yubileiny, there was a dispute over the order of performances by Aziza and Talkov. To perform last is considered the most prestigious.
Right before the concert, the administration decided to swap Aziza and Talkov. The singer allegedly did not have time to prepare for her performance. Talkov calmly agreed, but his commercial director Shlyafman was dissatisfied with the unexpected castling and decided to look into the situation. He found out that it was the same Malakhov, Aziza’s friend, who asked for a replacement.
Shlyafman started a trial in which Talkov was drawn into. As a result, the parties to the conflict argued. Malakhov was taken out of the dressing room by Igor’s guards. The argument continued in the corridor, after which Talkov was shot. After 2 shots, someone knocked the weapon out of Malakhov’s hands. Then it disappeared completely without a trace.
But according to the testimony of costume designer M. Berkova, the pistol was in the hands of Shlyafmash, and not Malakhov. And Shlyafman also shot. Witnesses to the crime gave very contradictory testimony. It was not clear who exactly shot Talkov, nor where the revolver went after that. The bullet hit Igor right in the heart. The doctors who came to the call confirmed death and noted that the shot was fired professionally.
Two killers
Malakhov disappeared after the murder. This may indicate both his guilt and the fact that he did not hope to defend his innocence. He was probably afraid of someone more powerful who could influence the course of the investigation. Crime bosses often bribed judges and prosecutors, in addition to paying huge attorney fees.
Malakhov was put on the wanted list. At the same time, an examination was carried out. The investigation established that from the angle from which the fatal shot was fired at Igor Talkov, only his commercial director Valery Shlyafman could have fired. Interestingly, the latter also disappeared. According to some reports, he crossed through Ukraine to Israel.
Due to the lack of a murder weapon and the confusion of eyewitness testimony, a request for Shlyafman’s extradition was impossible. As a newly minted Israeli citizen, it turned out to be difficult to even interrogate him. Malakhov hid for 22 years. After the trial, he received a short suspended sentence for illegal possession of firearms (2.5 years). It was known about Malakhov that he was a member of a criminal group.
In Israel
It took 6 long years to reach an agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on cooperation in the case of Talkov’s murder. But Shlyafman should have been tried in Israel. As a result, the process stalled again. Valery Shlyafman himself completely denied his guilt. He changed his last name to “Vysotsky” and continues to live quietly in his new homeland. Officially, the case of the murder of Igor Talkov remains open to this day.
Why could the singer be killed?
Journalists from various publications (Moskovsky Komsomolets, AiF, etc.) have repeatedly undertaken all sorts of investigations into this mysterious crime. Many agree that Igor could have been “ordered” because of his creativity. He touched on too “hot” and topical topics at his concerts. Many high-ranking officials did not like this. They were afraid to reveal the names of these people openly. They had too much influence.
According to other versions, the singer could have conflicts with a variety of organizations and people. Among them were communists, Black Hundreds, etc. There was also a version that Talkov had long been planned to be killed. He crossed the path of many people with his songs. Allegedly, Shlyafman and Malakhov simply carried out a contract killing, acting together. That is why both went unpunished, and the case hung like a dead weight in the archives.
Talkov's song "Mr. President" caused a lot of noise. He was going to perform it at that last concert. In this unique anthem, the singer demanded the overthrow of M. Gorbachev from the post of president. One of the former KGB officers, M. Kryzhanovsky, who conducted his unofficial investigation, suggested that Talkov’s murder could have been ordered “from above.” It's probably marked "Secret".
At 62, it's time to take stock. Singer, composer and rock musician Igor Talkov would have turned this age this year. In a mansion in the deep forests of the Moscow region, the main person involved in the case (now deceased) Igor Malakhov hid for more than 20 years; the fatal bullet was fired from the revolver of the singer Aziza’s bodyguard. It may be a coincidence, but immediately after it was announced, all of Malakhov’s close relatives disappeared from Malakhov’s mansion.
Irina Krasilnikova, a close friend of Igor Talkov’s family: “According to the materials of the criminal case, Malakhov could not have caused a fatal injury to Talkov, as evidenced by the totality of the following data: the nature of Malakhov’s movement at the scene of the incident, the position of Malakhov’s hand with the weapon.”
These materials from the criminal case have never been released to the press. A close friend of the Talkov family has been conducting her own investigation all this time. And here it is worth paying attention to several things. First, the murder weapon was never found. Many conclusions were made on the basis of ballistic and situational expertise. Secondly, the investigation never questioned key witnesses.
So what was it? Was it an accidental murder in a fight or was the fight a carefully planned prologue to the murder?
This happened on the day of a concert with the participation of the brightest stars of that time. The headliner, as they would say now, is the performer of the hit “Russia” Igor Talkov. But shortly before going on stage, Aziza’s representative Malakhov demands from the director of the idol of the 80s, Valery Shlyafman, to give the lady a place, that is, to act as her opening act. In just a few minutes the singer will be killed. Valery Shlyafman is the same person who did not yield to Malakhov then and who is now considered the main suspect in the murder. Now, under the name Vysotsky, he works as a simple manager in a Tel Aviv travel agency.
Malakhov bursts into Talkov’s dressing room and in a raised voice demands that the singer give up his turn to Aziza. But when the security escorted Aziza’s bodyguard out, Shlyafman began to behave strangely: having caught up with Malakhov, he began to provoke him. Malakhov takes out his revolver, Shlyamfan again flies into the dressing room shouting “Igor, he has a gun!” To which Talkov, with the words “We have our own for his gun,” takes out the barrel and also runs out into the corridor. Talkov opens fire first, but he has a gas pistol - a popular at that time, but rather harmless means of self-defense. But the enemy has already been neutralized; Talkov’s bodyguards restrained him. If the singer had returned to the dressing room, everything would have ended differently. But Talkov begins to beat Malakhov and then two shots are heard. At that moment, none of them had become fatal. The mise-en-scene at the time of the third fatal shot looks like this: Talkov is on his knees on the left, Shlyafman is half-sitting on the right at an outstretched distance, between them is a crowd of guards and Malakhov lying on the floor. According to the case materials, the revolver is in Shlyafman’s hands at this moment. But that's not all. After being wounded in the chest, Talkov was still alive for some time, and two people in white coats rush to his aid, introducing themselves as students of a medical university. And either out of ignorance, or due to some secret intent, they give him a heart massage, which is why the bullet went even deeper. They say that if they had waited for the ambulance to arrive, the artist could have been saved. It turns out that Talkov had at least three chances to survive that day.
On October 6, 1991, Igor Talkov was killed. When they talk about the mysterious death of the singer and composer, for some reason no one ever mentions the name of Nizhny Novgorod forensic expert Gennady Grigoriev, thanks to whom much of this tragedy became clear. Let's fill this gap. For more than thirty years, Gennady Alekseevich was a leading forensic expert at the Russian Ministry of Justice. Grigoriev, like a high-class professional, is at ease with any weapon. They started talking about him in criminology circles after Talkov’s murder. There were many witnesses to that behind-the-scenes tragedy, but the general fight prevented them from noticing the killer. The owner of the weapon himself, producer Aziza Malakhov, quickly fled the scene. Therefore, the investigation was inclined to conclude: it was he who dealt with Talkov. After all, it was because of Malakhov that terrible fight broke out behind the scenes of Yubileiny, where Talkov and Aziza did not share the right to go on stage. However, the investigation stalled. Gennady Grigoriev was summoned to St. Petersburg.
Igor Talkov: death on stage
Shortly before the shooting at Yubileiny, he gave a presentation to his St. Petersburg colleagues on the use of lasers in cases involving firearms. The essence of this method, invented by Grigoriev, now widespread, is simple to the point of genius. A small, pen-sized attachment with a laser beam is placed on the barrel of a pistol (or machine gun).
The diameter of the beam fully matches the criminal. Thus, the beam, simulating the flight of a bullet, provides a lot of additional information, including determining the distance of the shot and even the height of the killer. The expert’s report made a strong impression, and they decided to use the new method in the next experiment at Yubileiny.
Did you know?
Igor came from a noble family. His parents were repressed and met in prison, in the village of Orlovo-Rozovo, Kemerovo region
The results were stunning. The charges against Malakhov were dropped because the laser identified the true criminal - Talkov's administrator Valery Shlyafman. The only pity is that by that time the suspect himself was beyond the reach of Russian justice.
Gennady Alekseevich was prompted to use the cunning device by a sensational case of “regional scale” - the suicide of the chairman of the Avtozavodsky court Bredikhin. It was necessary to make sure that he committed suicide on his own, without anyone’s help. And it was not possible to combine the suspicious bullet mark in the doorway of Bredikhin’s office with his shot head using the usual string for criminologists.
She could not tell the trajectory of the bullet. Grigoriev did not sleep for a week. And finally, together with colleagues from the laboratory, I found the only right way: laser! Over decades of activity, the senior researcher at the Nizhny Novgorod Central Research Laboratory of Forensic Sciences has many mysterious cases, potential “wood grouse”, unraveled through deep knowledge.
Position of forensic expert
In 1975, a policeman shot and killed a driver on the street. During the investigation, the accused insisted that he hit the man by accident: he was knocked down by hooligans, he was unloading a cannon into the air, but they pushed him under the elbow. That's where the trouble happened.
Did you know?
Since childhood, Talkov was interested in literature and even wrote poetry. In high school, he mastered the piano and learned to play the guitar. He graduated from a music school in accordion class, and later learned to play the violin and bass guitar.
However, the only witness to the tragedy stated otherwise: the law enforcement officer shot the victim in cold blood at point-blank range, and the eyewitness managed to kick the pistol out of his hands. It was impossible to prove the testimony with facts. But it was then that a young expert intervened in the matter.
He knew well that if you hit the pistol hard from below at the moment you press the trigger, the weapon will automatically disassemble, and it was in disassembled form that the pistol was found at the murder scene. This means that the policeman did not shoot “in the air” and, logically, the witness was right.
Coming out of the building after the court hearing, Gennady Alekseevich heard in the crowd tightly surrounding the porch a single word: “Grigoriev!” People stepped aside respectfully, making way for the young criminologist. After all, it was only thanks to him that a criminal in uniform, backed by influential officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was sentenced to eight years for premeditated murder.
Few people believed that there would be a person who would be able to reveal the truth and would not be afraid to stand up for it in court. And after this case, Grigoriev often went against the desire of law enforcement agencies to put behind bars, without thinking twice, those suspected of committing crimes in which they were not involved.
Did you know?
In 1972, the future singer came to Moscow to enter the Dynamo or CSKA school. He dreamed of becoming a hockey player, but failed to qualify
He always conducts his examinations with an understanding of responsibility for the final result. Grigoriev especially “annoys” the investigation when he refuses to classify the knives seized from the detainees as “cold weapons.”
Our police sometimes even harass hunters and mushroom pickers for their knives,” Gennady Alekseevich smiles. - The blade is just over nine centimeters, and besides, it quickly jumps out of the handle - good luck! But each knife has its own, specific function. You can kill with a bread cleaver, but still it is not made for murder, but for peaceful purposes.”
Writer Andreev Leonid Nikolaevich
Grigoriev is “one of his own” among the gunsmiths of Pavlov, Vyksa, and other cities of Russia. But people of art also know and appreciate Gennady Alekseevich as a creative and extraordinary person, and often resort to his help. One day, Tamara Ryzhova, director of the Gorky Museum, approached him in an old mysterious photograph.
Did you know?
In 1974, after graduating from school, Talkov tried to enter the theater school in Moscow. I fell asleep on socialist realism: I didn’t know M. Gorky’s novel “Mother”
I approached him as an experienced criminologist and photographer. She had long been haunted by a photograph from the archive of Maxim Dmitriev. It depicted a Volga tramp typical of the early 20th century. But is this so, Tamara Alexandrovna doubted.
The photograph was taken in the year of the production of “At the Lower Depths”; the photographer Dmitriev helped Gorky in selecting types and created a whole gallery of the inhabitants of Bugrov’s doss house.
However, only on this photograph did he sign his autograph, which he did only on those photographs that he treasured. The director of the museum also found it suspicious that the tramp stood too imposingly and deliberately in the snow barefoot, while the other “types” had their feet wrapped in foot wraps and some kind of rags.
Did you know?
At the age of 19, the young artist publicly spoke on a square in Tula criticizing the policies of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. The case was hushed up, but Talkov was sent to serve in a construction battalion in the Moscow region
But the most important thing that worried Ryzhova: the tramp in the picture bore a resemblance to the famous prose writer Leonid Andreev. Grigoriev became interested in solving the old photograph. Having requested several original portraits of the writer from the museum collection, in which the details of the face and hands were clearly visible, I sat down to work. And soon the director of the museum received an official expert report, which stated that all the photographs, including the “tramp” one, depicted the same person - Leonid Nikolaevich Andreev.
His exotic appearance was explained simply: during the rehearsals of the play “At the Lower Depths,” Andreev was a frequent guest of his friend Gorky. They went together to the studio of photographer Dmitriev.
There one day Andreev saw wigs and clothes of tramps, prepared by a photographer for filming in the workshop. One of its windows looked directly onto a snow-covered terrace, where the writer decided to “play” a tramp. He managed to brilliantly play this role, posing a riddle to future researchers of history and literature. But it was not they who “split” the famous hoaxer, but forensic expert Grigoriev.
Igor Talkov - prophet
But let's return to Talkov's case. Yes, the killer was identified with the help of criminologist Grigoriev. However, the premature one was apparently written on the lines of his hand or in the book of fates or somewhere else. In any case, Talkov himself vaguely felt this and suspected that he would die young and not by his own death.
Igor Talkov and Aziza Mystical coincidences and premonitions haunted him all his life. Here are just a few of them. In the late 80s, a cheerful group was walking in a hotel in Yalta. At that time, a music festival was taking place in Yalta, which was attended by many famous guests. Talkov was among the partygoers.
Did you know?
Talkov became popular after his song “Chistye Prudy” was performed in the TV show “Song of the Year”
Together with the famous astrologer Pavel Globa and actor Pankratov-Cherny that evening they talked on. At some point, Globa thought about it and then stated that his two interlocutors were connected by karmic ties and would die in one year and one day. Of course, his tipsy interlocutors only laughed at his prophecy and soon forgot.
But on October 6, Pankratov-Cherny was in a terrible car accident. The car turned into a cake. The actor survived miraculously. And the next day in the hospital he heard the news about the death of his karmic brother and only then remembered the prediction. Fortunately, Pankratov, unlike Igor, was lucky. Apparently his guardian angel did not close his eyes on duty that night.
The fact that Talkov foresaw the future is proven by the following incident. In 1983, the singer and his musicians went on tour. The plane constantly fell into air pockets, it was shaking and the passengers were worried.
Did you know?
In 1989, his video for the song “Russia” was first shown on the television program “Before and After Midnight.” Talkov became one of the favorite singers and musicians of Russians
Then Talkov, turning to them, told them not to be afraid of anything. He is not destined to die in the air, he will die on the stage in the presence of a large number of people. And if so, then the flight today will end safely for everyone.
Beyond the last line
Here's another incredible coincidence. A year before his death, the singer starred in the feature film “Beyond the Last Line.” At the end of the film, his hero dies from a bullet in the chest fired from a pistol. Filming of this scene took place in Leningrad on October 6th. Exactly a year later on the same day Talkov in Leningrad from a bullet fired into his chest from a pistol.
