There was a lot of things in the USSR: sex, drugs, gambling and, of course, organized crime were completely absent. And then suddenly, in the 1970s, youth gangs began to appear in Kazan, assembled on a territorial basis. The most famous was the Tyap-Lyap group. This phenomenon was so outlandish for Soviet reality that it entered the criminal history under the name "Kazan Phenomenon".
"Ours" and "others"
By the early 1970s, all of Kazan was clearly divided by young people into districts: Aviastroitelny, Moskovsky, Kirovsky, Novaya Tatar Sloboda. Their inhabitants knew each other well and divided all residents of the city into "friends" and "aliens". Therefore, sometimes it was unsafe to meddle even on the next street: anyone risked being beaten. There were also raids: the guys from Hadi Taktash went to Zhilka or Novo-Tatar Sloboda and vice versa.
The area where the Teplocontrol plant was located was new. That is why the "Teplovskie" guys regularly fell under the distribution. They had to defend themselves. This is how the Tyap-Lyap group appeared. It is difficult to say exactly when this happened, but its transformation into an organized gang began in 1972, when a certain Sergei Antipov organized a rocking chair in one of the basements. Since there was nothing else to do in the "Teplocontrol" area, the boys began to train hard with the help of "shells": irons, battery sections and even buckets of potatoes.
So the local youth got physically stronger, finally became friends and welded into a single team. But, most likely, they would have remained the courtyard punks, if they had not purposefully begun to shoot down an organized military group - OBG.
The gang had three leaders. Sergei Antipov, nicknamed Antip, who served time for hooliganism and knew the structure of the criminal world from the inside, was responsible for the connection between Tyap-Lyap and crime. Sergey Scriabin - Scriaba is a teacher by training, a smart guy, was the brain of the group. And Zavdat Khantimirov - Dzhavda - a strong-willed person who loves discipline and order, monitored the observance of the charter, which he himself developed.
It was this trinity who was able to put together from young guys 14-17 years old an combat-ready bandit formation, which in a couple of years subjugated the whole of Kazan.
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No anarchy
The founders of the Tyap-Lyap group took the structure of the Komsomol squads as the basis for the organization. No anarchy! Only strict order and hierarchy. So there were commanders, deputies and executors - militants. There was also a specialization in OBG. Some guys were in charge of weapons. Others dealt with financial matters. Still others supervised training camps and trainings. And all this in the conditions of the strictest secrecy: the fighters were united in fives, they received orders directly from the commanders and did not know what role and in which units the rest of the gang was playing.
The strict charter developed by Javda was based on fines and ultimatums. OBG members were forbidden to drink and smoke. For these offenses, a fine of 100 rubles was imposed. Other sins were worth more. He did not appear on orders - beating. You move and have to leave the gang - 1000 rubles. If you want to leave - 3000 rubles. He reported death to the police. The motto of the Tyaplyapovites logically followed from this system of fines and punishments: “Don't leave your comrade. Not to drink. Do not smoke.
Criminal activity
The Tyap-Lyap gang was engaged in all types of criminal activities available in the USSR at that time. The guys stole cars and motorcycles: cars were sold for parts, and motorcycles were altered for themselves. They committed thefts and robberies. But the really big money flowed into the group when it levied tribute to those who had illegal income. "Tyaplyapovtsy" offered to share meat cutters, taxi drivers, waiters, market traders and even glass containers. Those who disagreed were dealt with: they beat up, spoiled goods, disfigured cars. They even tried to kill one receiver of glass containers in order to make the rest more accommodating.
Each member of the gang had to donate a certain amount to the common fund. And for this, the boys had to either steal money from their parents, or participate in thieves' raids - to travel to neighboring cities and rob random passers-by.
And a ticket to the sanatorium
During the period of its peak, the ranks of the Tyap-Lyap gang consisted of 300 to 500 active members. To collect such a number of fighters in a relatively small area, members of the OBG actively recruited new recruits. Most often among high school students. Strong guys came up to them and said: "Now you are a member of the gang." Those who dared to refuse were beaten. A very effective method, but it was often not necessary to resort to it: teenagers willingly nailed themselves to older comrades, hoping to receive not only protection, but also friendship. Moreover, in "Tyap-Lyap" the reward system was well established: the young people were given stolen motorcycles, they bought delicious food and even vouchers to a sanatorium.
True, first you had to pass the test: pump up in the gym, and then stand on your feet under the influence of a powerful blow.
The "sports education of youth" in OBG was taken very seriously. The guys not only trained hard, but also participated in fights: first with competitors, then with their own. Fights were not for life, but for death. It was not accepted to ask for mercy, because the loser was simply carried away after the fight. Further - more: they began to shoot at their own people with rifles. The small fraction did not cause serious injury, but the gang received fighters who were not afraid of weapons. And since ordinary doctors were obliged to report gunshot wounds to the police, in order not to get fired at Tyap-Lyap, they brought in their own doctor.
Final "run"
Feeling complete impunity, the Tyap-Lyap gang began to make "runs". The essence of these activities was as follows. Members of the OBG gathered in one place and began to beat everyone who came to hand: vacationers on the city beach, people in the disco.
The "run", which became the bloodiest, took place on August 31, 1978. More than fifty people, armed with fittings, cuttings of chains, pistols, sawn-off shotguns and even combat grenades, arrived in the region of Novaya Tatarskaya Sloboda, which had not yet submitted to the Tyalyapovites. The bandits began shooting, destroying everything around and beating up bystanders. As a result, two people were killed and dozens were injured. A grenade was thrown at the patrol car.
On the same evening, the incident was telegraphed to Moscow, and at the very top it was decided to immediately liquidate the gang.
For almost a year, a group of 25 people conducted an investigation, which progressed with great difficulty. Affected by the conspiracy adopted among the members of the OBG.
At the trial, the gang was charged with 36 robberies, 4 murders and 15 attempted murders. In fact, there were much more crimes. But the victims, scared to death, refused to cooperate with the police.
Four members of the group were sentenced to death, but due to their young age, two were pardoned. The rest were sentenced to long terms. It is noteworthy that the involvement of Sergei Antipov and Sergei Scriabin in the gang has not been proven: they were convicted of other crimes …
Form style
Quilted jackets were the trademark clothing of the Tyaplyapovites. Cheap and angry: protect from blows in a fight. On their heads were caps with earflaps with ears tied behind. When this style was adopted by other groups, members of the OBG began to wear the identification badges of the Teplocontrol plant.
Dmitry DYAKONOV