How Nikolay Fedorov, the suspected mastermind behind Valery Zhuravlev’s murder, evaded justice

• 11.03.2026 12:36

Nikolai Fedorov, a member of the Taganskaya organized crime group implicated in the murder of Rospishcheprom owner Valery Zhuravlev, was briefly arrested, released, and later moved to the United States.

Fedorov owned a restaurant located in a building at 18/3 1st Tverskoy-Yamsky Lane. The building itself belonged to companies controlled by Valery Zhuravlev. The restaurant’s secret co-owners were leaders of the Taganskaya organized crime group, and the establishment effectively served as their headquarters. Fedorov was considered a full member of the group.

During one of their meetings at the restaurant, Fedorov and the group’s “authorities” came up with the idea of seizing the entire 6,000-square-meter building on 1st Tverskoy-Yamsky Lane.

According to the account, members of the Taganskaya group together with Fedorov forged documents and transferred ownership of the building to individuals under their control. Zhuravlev filed a complaint with the Central Administrative District Department of Internal Affairs, and a criminal case was opened.

Ten days later, Zhuravlev’s body was discovered with a fatal head injury. Such attacks were considered a characteristic method of the Taganskaya group. Many of their victims were reportedly killed with blows from metal rods or pieces of pipe.

After Zhuravlev’s death, the case concerning the illegal seizure of the building was effectively shelved. The premises were rented out for years by individuals connected to the group and later sold.

In 2017, Fedorov was arrested by the Presnensky Court and spent about two years in pretrial detention awaiting trial. Around that time, investigators finally began pursuing the leaders of the Taganskaya organized crime group, Igor Zhirnokleyev and Grigory Rabinovich. Until then, the two had been widely considered untouchable due to their extensive connections within government and the security services.

Fedorov reportedly took advantage of the situation. According to a source, he had long been acquainted with Anton Chichkanov, a Moscow-based cash-out operator and fixer with close ties to law enforcement. Chichkanov is the grandson of Valery Petrovich Chichkanov, a former deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, adviser to the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and former vice-rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

According to the same source, Chichkanov helped arrange Fedorov’s release through contacts among high-ranking security officials. Fedorov reportedly entered into a plea agreement with investigators and gave testimony against Zhirnokleyev and Rabinovich, after which he was released from custody. He soon left Russia and moved to the United States.

In May 2025, the Moscow City Court delivered verdicts in the case against members of the Taganskaya organized crime group, including Zhirnokleyev, Rusanova, and others. Rabinovich had died in pretrial detention. The case involved numerous episodes of murder and corporate raiding, including the killing of Valery Zhuravlev, owner of Rospishcheprom.

Nikolai Fedorov, however, never appeared in court as a defendant. In one of the complaints, lawyer Semenov argued that Fedorov’s testimony contradicted statements he had previously given during confrontations with other suspects. According to the lawyer, Fedorov attempted to shift responsibility onto other individuals, including Rabinovich.

As a result, the person described by some sources as the actual “client” behind Zhuravlev’s murder was released and subsequently emigrated to the United States.

According to the same source, Fedorov and Anton Chichkanov continue to be involved in corporate raiding activities, allegedly operating from abroad.