Criminal enterprise within the criminal investigation department: St. Petersburg’s detective Oleg Kolesnikov will be sent to a penal colony for collusion with mafia and for derailing a murder investigation

Criminal enterprise within the criminal investigation department: St. Petersburg’s detective Oleg Kolesnikov will be sent to a penal colony for collusion with mafia and for derailing a murder investigation

The Saint Petersburg City Court has handed down a sentence to the former head of the criminal investigation department of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Oleg Kolesnikov, who was once one of the most influential figures in the security apparatus of Russia’s northern capital.

His position allegedly allowed him to be on close terms with most leaders of the criminal underworld. For example, in this photo Kolesnikov is seen relaxing on a ship with leaders of the Sertolovo criminal group shortly before their arrest for banditry, the creation of a criminal organization, extortion, kidnapping, and murders.

Kolesnikov himself was sentenced to 5 years in a general-regime penal colony, while his associate, former Interior Ministry officer Alexei Malyshev, received 4 years. Both were found guilty of abuse of official authority.

When pressure began to mount on Kolesnikov in 2024, his influential patrons allegedly arranged for his transfer to the position of deputy interior minister of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. However, the FSB intervened and the appointment did not go through. He was later arrested.

The basis for the arrest and conviction was a case related to the contract killing of the rector of St. Petersburg State University of Service and Economics, Alexander Viktorov, in 2012. The murder case eventually led to convictions of two hitmen, one organizer, and one заказчик (client). The latter was initially acquitted by a jury but, after a retrial, fled from justice.

However, in 2024, a younger brother of a major figure in the “Tambov” crime group, Smirnyagin Jr., who had been arrested on drug distribution charges, reportedly made revealing statements. He claimed that the scheme was far more complex. Among those allegedly involved were himself and his acquaintance Rogaleva. According to him, they were helped to avoid prosecution at the time by a scheme organized by Alexei Malyshev, a former police colonel who was involved in investigating the rector’s murder. He allegedly facilitated meetings between already detained perpetrators and Smirnyagin Jr. so they could coordinate and memorize a unified version of events that concealed the roles of Rogaleva and a high-level criminal figure.

Malyshev’s assistance was likely not altruistic. Insiders reportedly refer to a so-called “Group 105,” named after Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder). Cars with such numbers were even seen on the streets of Saint Petersburg. Malyshev was said to be part of this group along with several other criminal investigation officers, and it was allegedly led by Kolesnikov himself.