“I was pressed by the opera”: the story of the accused of the attempt on Abraham Russo

The man claims he did not know where he was taking the killer

On Tuesday, during a regular meeting in the case of the assassination attempt on the famous singer Avram Russo in 2006, one of the accused, Alexei Tryasnikov, spoke in detail about the role of each of the participants in the high-profile criminal incident. He also emphasized that he was subjected to pressure from the security forces.

During the meeting, the state prosecutors read Tryasnikov’s testimony, in which he spoke about the various actions of accomplices – Vitaly Dzhura and the late Mikhail Demkin, in preparation for the murder of Russo. It was, in particular, about buying a lot of cell phones, numerous trips to places that were significant for Rousseau, especially in the Arbat area, and so on.

However, even at the beginning of the meeting, it turned out that law enforcement agencies had refused Tryasnikov’s recent request. In it, the accused asked to initiate a criminal case on the fact that they exceeded their official powers against two investigators who were interrogating him during the investigation. Tryasnikov said that there was “wild pressure on the part of the operatives” against him – because of which, according to him, he testified against Dzhura and Demkin. In the same spirit, he answered the questions of his defender Kozyakin and Dzhura himself, when he addressed him. Recall that, unlike Tryasnikov, who was first placed under arrest and then released on bail, Dzhura had already spent a very long time in a pre-trial detention center.

In particular, answering questions from his lawyer, Tryasnikov said that in fact, until the moment of Jura’s arrest, he had no information about his and Demkin’s involvement in the assassination attempt on Russo. He added that there were trips to the Arbat, but he did not know about their purpose, since he played a modest role as a driver. According to him, he never saw Jura communicate with Dyomkin, he did not witness any preparations for the assassination (such as buying weapons and ammunition), and as for buying phones, it really took place, but the goal was commercials for the cars he and Jura were selling.

Tryasnikov told his lawyer that during the investigation he was subjected to strong pressure by law enforcement officers. In particular, during one of the meetings with the investigator, he even threatened: “I told him directly that I would open myself if there were another opera.”

According to him, they allegedly influenced him, including with a “carrot” – for example, they offered to bring his wife to “calm down”:

– They (detective officers – approx. Aut.) told me: “Do you want us to bring your wife to you, so that she reassures you?”

Then another defendant, Dzhura, turned to Tryasnikov:

– So those testimonies of yours that the prosecutor read out – do you consider them true? Do you stick to them?

– No, – answered Jura Tryasnikov.

Tryasnikov also turned to the judge, saying that he had repeatedly complained about pressure to the investigator. In response to this, “everyone turned on the fool and said, ‘Alexei Yuryevich, we don’t know anything.’ – ed.)”.

Apparently, Tryasnikov’s defender also adheres to the same position about possible pressure, who, during the interrogation of the investigator, asked if Tryasnikov complained to him about the moral and psychological pressure on him from the side of the detectives during the investigation. The investigator replied that all Tryasnikov’s testimony and appeals were recorded in the protocols of interrogations. He added that no additional checks on the facts of such appeals were carried out.

After questioning the investigator, lawyer Kozyakin, in a conversation with the judge, completely turned to shouting, stating that “with him, his client in the pre-trial detention center testified that he was being pressured.”

The next hearing on this high-profile case will take place in the Khamovniki Court tomorrow. Already on it, debates of the parties can take place.