The Murder of Mikhail Krug Revealed 17 Years Later

On July 1, 2002, one of the most notorious murders in modern Russian history occurred when contract killers murdered famous chanson singer Mikhail Krug in his own home. Investigators struggled to solve the case for 17 years, but now, it seems the "ice has finally broken," reports tert.am citing lenta.ru.

Recently, on August 6, a forensic investigation was conducted at the artist’s home, in which the suspect Alexander Ageev, a member of one of the most brutal criminal groups of the 1990s, the "Wolves" of Tver region, participated. He has already provided a confession and admitted to indeed being involved in Krug’s murder.

Mikhail Krug is regarded as a legend of the 1990s, with songs like "Zhigan-Lemon," "Vladimir Central," and "Kolshchik" becoming hits and still considered foundational to Russian chanson.

The house where Krug lived is located on Osvobodeniya Street in Tver. The events that took place in that house on July 1 are known from the accounts of the singer's widow, Irina. On that day, Krug returned home around 9:00 p.m. after a concert. In addition to himself and his wife, there were three children in the house: two from previous marriages and their joint child, as well as his mother-in-law. It was the latter that the two intruders attacked. Hearing noises, Irina went upstairs and saw her mother being beaten. Shocked, she ran to the adjacent room and told her husband about the incident. They rushed into the hallway, just as gunfire erupted in their direction. Irina managed to escape the house, while Krug, who shielded her with his body, was shot twice.

For 17 years, the main suspects in the singer's murder have been members of the "Wolves". This brutal gang terrorized the entire Tver region. The group's leaders included the criminal authority Alexander Kostenko, known as Lom, his right-hand man Anatoly Osipov, nicknamed Wolf, both of whom were killed in the 2000s. After the group's collapse, ordinary members were sentenced to long prison terms, while three contract killers—including Alexander Ageev, Alexander Osipov, known as Junior Wolf, and Dmitry Baskakov—were sentenced to life imprisonment.

It was Ageev whom the singer’s widow recognized, but the suspect denied his involvement in the murder. Judicial proceedings against gang members began in 2009, during which investigators prepared 108 volumes of the criminal case. Junior Wolf was sentenced to life imprisonment. While already serving his sentence, he revealed that the singer was killed by Dmitry Veselev, a trusted person of Lom. Although Lom enjoyed the singer's music and knew him well, at some point, a falling out occurred between them. Allegedly, he demanded the artist share his earnings, which the singer refused. This could not be confirmed or denied by Dmitry Veselev as he was already deceased.

As for why Ageev remained silent for so many years and only spoke now, the answer is simple: both Junior Wolf and Alexander Ageev are in a maximum-security prison, and the reinstatement of investigative actions regarding the murder will allow them to temporarily leave prison and move to a detention facility where conditions are more lenient.