Seven famous musicians killed by gunfire. Obituary of Igor Talkov Evidence as proof of guilt

Igor Talkov was killed less than a month before his 35th birthday

- Stop the music! And now, please, a minute of silence. All the police present in the hall urgently cordon off the Yubileiny Sports Complex, since they had just shot at Igor Talkov - with these words they interrupted the concert of pop stars in October 1991 in St. Petersburg.

Igor Talkov was killed on October 6, 1991 - less than a month before his 35th birthday. Thus, this year marks not only the 60th anniversary of the singer’s birth, but also the 25th anniversary of his death.

Who killed Talkov

The answer to this question is still given. The death of Igor Talkov, perhaps one of the brightest performers of his time, was a real shock for his relatives, friends and numerous fans.

The singer and composer was shot in the heart minutes before going on stage. His death gave rise to many versions. Some call Talkov’s murder ritual, others do not consider what happened behind the scenes of the Yubileiny Sports Complex to be a murder at all.

Over 25 years, countless unofficial and journalistic investigations into the murder of Igor Talkov have been conducted. Versions were expressed that nationalists, anti-Semites, communists, foreign intelligence services and, naturally, freemasons could have been involved in his death.

Thus, the head of the national-patriotic front “Memory” Dmitry Vasiliev stated that Talkov was killed “for songs that were too Russian.” Supporters of the “nationalist trace,” on the contrary, point out that the singer was a provocateur and was introduced into Vasiliev’s circle with the aim of collapsing the organization, for which he paid.

Igor Talkov

Mysticism in Talkov's death

And they also see a lot of mysticism in Talkov’s death. It is known, for example, that on the fateful day Igor decided to go on stage wearing a black shirt rather than the traditional white one. They point out that shortly before the concert, strange posters of Talkov’s group “Lifebuoy” appeared at the Yubileiny sports complex. In one, his deathly green reflection is visible in the mirror, in the other, the dark silhouette of the singer is struck in the heart by a star. And if these “oddities” may seem far-fetched, there are some truly amazing coincidences.

In 1990, Talkov starred in the action film “Beyond the Last Line,” where he played the leader of a gang of racketeers. In the film, his hero is shot at point-blank range, and the filming of this episode took place on October 6, 1990 - exactly a year before Talkov was killed at the Yubileiny sports complex.

TV journalist Mikhail Gladkov made a documentary about Talkov during the singer’s lifetime. The artistic device used by the author is noteworthy: in the plot, Igor talks about himself from the other world. “I can say everything I think. Bribes are fine from a person who is not there,” said Talkov, having heard the TV man’s creative idea. At least that’s what Gladkov himself claims. The film was released after Talkov’s death.

Singer Aziza

Who is to blame for Talkov's death

Be that as it may, in investigations of the murder of Igor Talkov, three people most often appear: Talkov’s concert director Valery Shlyafman, singer Aziza and Igor Malakhov - her director, security guard and close friend rolled into one. Actually, the conflict, which resulted in shots being fired, was, admittedly, provoked by these people.

In 1991, the concept of “headliner” had not yet come into wide circulation, but artists already then perfectly understood the importance of the order of performances: the closer to the final, the more prestigious. The concert at Yubileiny was to be concluded by Oleg Gazmanov, and before him, Talkov and Aziza performed as planned.

Either Aziza really didn’t have time to prepare for the performance, or it was just a show-off. The fact is that she asked Malakhov to talk to Talkov’s representatives and change places with him. Malakhov was a hot guy - a professional kickboxer, and quite quickly the conversation with Talkov's security turned to a raised tone. Malakhov went away to “talk like a boy” with one of the singer’s guards.

“Another guard stood at the door to the dressing room and did not participate in the conflict,” investigator Oleg Blinov, who led the case of Talkov’s death, recalled in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda. - And it seemed like the conflict began to subside, the tone of the conversation decreased. But then the director of Talkov, Mr. Shlyafman, showed up and in a rather rude manner began to tease Malakhov: “Igor, are you scared?” The gist of it is something like this, but all this was said in a very rude, cynical form,” says the investigator.

Valery Shlyafman is one of the main suspects in the murder of Igor Talkov

Reconstruction of Talkov's murder

The investigation reconstructed the picture of what happened almost second by second. However, it is not so easy to understand who actually killed Igor Talkov.

According to Blinov, it was after Valery Shlyafman’s jokes that Igor Malakhov, Aziza’s bodyguard, took out a barrel - a revolver of the 1895 model, which he had acquired for self-defense. The time was difficult, and Malakhov had a conflict with a criminal group six months before the incident. There were three cartridges in the drum. Malakhov managed to get caught quite quickly. But by that time Shlyafman had already alarmed the dressing room with shouts of “They’re beating our people.” Talkov ran to find out what was going on, grabbing his gas pistol (they were extremely popular at that time).

While the brawl was going on, the almost “twisted” Malakhov shot twice at the floor. This is confirmed by examinations carried out at the scene of the tragedy. According to the official version, the kickboxer simply physically could not shoot at Talkov, since by the time he appeared he was already on the floor.

Talkov's death is a typical Russian roulette

“Shlyafman approached from the side of Malakhov, who was lying face down, and took the pistol from his right hand. A few seconds later, a click was heard, like a misfire when a shot was fired. And after two such clicks occurred, the only bullet that remained in the drum hit Igor Talkov,” said investigator Blinov.

“A medical examination established that at the moment of the fatal shot Talkov’s body was in motion. He struck Malakhov while squatting. And when he began to rise, the revolver fired. And the singer, apparently, saw the barrel pointed in his direction. And he even tried to shield himself from the bullet with his hand. Forensic criminologists subsequently discovered a wound on Talkov’s palm - the bullet first pierced it, and then his heart,” continues Blinov.

“We established that the shot was fired from a very close distance from Talkov. Almost right next to his hand. Only Shlyafman could shoot from such a distance. So Talkov's death is a typical Russian roulette. They clicked, clicked and clicked,” sums up the criminologist.

“Gentlemen Democrats” is one of Igor Talkov’s sharpest hits

Blinov emphasizes that his story does not contain the version of the investigation, but “the facts established by the investigation.” The investigator’s other wording is also noteworthy: “it was not a murder, but the unintentional death of a person.”

Evidence as proof of guilt

During the investigation of the murder, during a search in the apartment of Valery Shlyafman’s common-law wife, they found the shirt that the concert director was wearing at the time of Talkov’s death. Experts found gunpowder on her sleeves.

It is not in Shlyafman’s favor that soon after the tragedy he emigrated to his historical homeland in Israel, where he now lives under the name Vysotsky. He categorically denies his guilt, placing responsibility for Talkov’s death entirely on Malakhov.

“At the moment, there is no main evidence - the weapon with which Talkov was killed,” Shlyafman himself told the same Kosmsomolskaya Pravda in 2012. - But they made me the main culprit, since there were traces of gunpowder on my shirt. But I picked up Malakhov’s pistol, it couldn’t have been any other way. I returned home, changed my clothes, and threw the shirt into the laundry basket. And the investigators came and made the main material evidence out of it.”

Indeed, the gun was never found. Investigator Blinov claims that Shlyafman gave the pistol to Aziza, she gave it to Malakhav, and he dismantled it and drowned it piece by piece in the Moika and Fontanka. Aziza herself categorically denies her participation in this chain.

Singer Aziza and her director Igor Malakhov in the early 90s

What happened after Talkov's death

The tragic death of Talkov became the starting point in a series of tragedies. Under unclear circumstances, the singer’s guards, who accompanied him to the Yubileiny sports complex in October 1991, died one after another.

Aziza lost the child she was expecting from Igor Malakhov. The singer claims that during the brawl in which she intervened, the same Valery Shlyafman kicked her in the stomach.

Due to the stress he suffered, ten days after Talkov’s death, his beloved Elena Kondorovova also lost her child. Examinations established that Igor Malakhov was not involved in Talkov’s murder. He was proven guilty only of illegal possession of weapons.

The former director of Aziza, who was in hiding for 22 years, from whose pistol the singer was killed, is dying

His acquaintances said that he left Russia for South Africa and was engaged in a business related to precious stones. And only when Igor Malakhov recently ended up in the intensive care unit of one of the capital’s hospitals, the truth became known. Today it is clear that the murder of the idol of the 80s and 90s, Igor Talkov, will never be solved. One of the culprits of the fight at Yubileiny, where the singer’s last performance took place, may take the secret to the grave. Because he himself is dying.

Exactly from a pistol Igor Malakhov, who was a member of the Solntsevo criminal group, was shot dead by Igor Talkov. Although St. Petersburg investigators, relying on a ballistic examination, decided that the shot was fired by the singer’s director who allegedly snatched the weapon from Malakhov’s hands Valery Shlyafman, many continue to suspect Igor.

Singer Aziza, whose director Malakhov then worked, never spoke about his whereabouts. But, having learned that he was dying, she could not remain silent.

Mistress

“Igor is in the hospital, dying,” says Aziza. “When I found out about what happened, I started calling him. Nobody answered the phone. He has a severe form of diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver... Blood transfusions are done every day. I asked the musicians to donate blood.

— Did you hear the version that they shot him later?

- This is not true... Igor drank heavily at one time, it happened. Mutual friends said that when he walked, blood oozed from under his toenails. He didn’t listen to anyone, he rejected doctors, he was treated with herbs... I told him about the diet, but he didn’t follow it. Igor left people. He lived with his family in the forest and prayed to God. I almost fell when I found out that he was in the hospital.

— How did you keep in touch with him?

- He called himself. Happy birthday every year. From a human perspective, I feel very sorry for him: I loved him, I wanted to have a child with him, but I couldn’t bear it due to nervous stress. When a person dies, it becomes scary. The last time Igor called was in April on my birthday. I never reminded him of Talkov. All the time he asked me for forgiveness, he began the conversation with these words: “If I am guilty of something, forgive me.” I said: “Why are you doing this?”

— When did you break up with Igor?

— We were together until 1994. Igor's younger brother was shot, and he was very worried. Dashing times of the 90s... The killer was never found. So many destinies have been crippled. Malakhov was a gifted and intelligent person, but everything turned out tragically. And I feel sorry for Valerka Shlyafman...

- Why did you break up? Because of Talkov?

— After Talkov’s death, he became nervous, strange, inadequate. He took it out on me and made a scandal. We both decided to separate. Everything worked out for Igor: he has a wife, he has children, but I don’t... Only recently I became the godmother of Talkov’s grandson, Svyatoslav. And now I’ll go to Malakhov’s hospital and bring my father. I'll help you with medicine. Igor’s poor mother, Galina Stepanovna: one son was killed, the second is dying...

MALAKHOV’s mother came from Siberia to look after her grandchildren. The youngest is behind her

Hermit

For 22 years, journalists could not find Igor Malakhov for a simple reason: he did not go abroad, but to a remote village and changed his last name. According to his passport, he is now - Igor Viktorovich Rus. By the way, the second murder suspect, Valery Shlyafman, fled to Israel and became Vysotsky.

“We didn’t know that Igor was connected with Talkov’s murder,” one of Malakhov’s neighbors told me last week. - His last name is different. We have only ten houses in our village. Igor finally built and settled here about seven years ago...

It was also possible to find out that Rus-Malakhov married an actress Ksenia Kuznetsova, known for the children's TV show "ABVGDeyka" and her role in the film "Admiral". They have two sons with Scandinavian names, the youngest Rurik is two years old, Ingvard is five.

Ksenia KUZNETSOVA - famous film actress

At Igor Malakhov’s house we were met by his mother, Galina Stepanovna. Having learned that journalists had arrived, she asked to leave immediately.

“We lived as hermits, didn’t bother anyone, we were building a house,” the elderly woman says with tears. - What do you want from him? If it weren't for the hospital, no one would have known. I came from Siberia to help with my grandchildren. Ksenia never leaves her son’s side in the hospital. So many days in intensive care. I know that Aziza came to Igor. Only he didn’t want to see her. Who is she to him? He has a legal wife. Aziza, if she wanted, would live with Igor. She left on her own. My son’s life has just worked out... Maybe they will save him.

Aziza (left) became the godmother of Igor TALKOV's grandson. The son of the late musician is on the far right

Shlyafman will not return to Russia

Investigator Oleg BLINOV, who headed the investigation team for TALKOV’s murder, quit after a couple of years and became a lawyer.

— Fans Talkova want to reopen the case, speaks Oleg Blinov . - But it can only be moved from a dead point if Shlyafman will come to Russia and admit that he shot. You will have to wait until the carrot plot, Valery is not going to return.

“There’s no need to look for the killer,” said Hall Shlyafman in an exclusive interview with Express Gazeta about a year ago.

“Everyone knows who did it and how, so for me the culprit was found on the very first day the tragedy occurred. At the moment, there is no main evidence - the weapon used to kill Talkov. For what Igor Malakhov did it?

There is a proverb: a thief’s hat is on fire. But they made me the main culprit, since there were traces of gunpowder on my shirt. But since I picked up Malakhov’s pistol, it couldn’t have been any other way. I returned home, changed my clothes, threw the shirt into the laundry basket: I did not hide it as evidence. And the investigators came and took it away, making it the main piece of evidence.

Having learned that Igor Malakhov was dying, Shlyafman spoke briefly:

- It's a pity... A good man.

Natalia MURGA

Conversations about who killed musician Igor Talkov in October 1991 have not subsided to this day. Recently, several programs appeared on television, and articles about Talkov appeared in newspapers. Almost everything is a lie, and there is irrefutable evidence of this.

Our journalists found themselves in the hands of unique documents - the results of numerous examinations, interrogations of participants in those tragic events. And the conclusions of the most authoritative experts: only the artist’s director Valery Shlyafman could shoot! And no one else.

It would seem that there is nothing to talk about. The name of Shlyafman as the main person involved has been heard more than once. However, more than 20 years later, representatives of the former director, who immediately after Talkov’s funeral fled to Israel, suddenly appeared on the central channels.

They want to whitewash the fugitive director

Shlyafman is not guilty, and in general he is a very good person! – director Mikhail Gladkov, who lives in the USA, but recently has suddenly become a frequent visitor to Russian spaces, announced recently on the air of the program “Property of the Republic” on Channel One.

They objected to him from the audience: would an “innocent” person hide in his historical homeland for many years? But Gladkov pretended not to hear.

And I have nothing to do with it! – singer Aziza hastened to disown.

Her bodyguard and, concurrently, lover Igor Malakhov was suspected of murder then, in 1991. But the investigation proved that he is innocent. An important point: the investigation was conducted by an investigator for especially important cases of the St. Petersburg prosecutor’s office, a first-class lawyer with extensive experience. The experts are leading specialists of the Military Medical Academy: professors, doctors of science, whose experience in the profession is at least 30 years. Professionals who can't make mistakes.

According to the official version, Talkov and Aziza quarreled over a place in the concert. Representatives of the artists started negotiations, and soon a fight broke out near the dressing rooms. From Aziza was Malakhov. Hefty guy, USSR kickboxing champion. From the “talk” ones: Shlyafman, three personal bodyguards, and Igor himself, who was dragged into the fight by his own director. This is what the witnesses testified. Although usually directors at all costs strive to protect the ward from everything that does not relate to creativity.

Subsequently, Talkov's guards who participated in the fight will die in their prime. Someone fell out of a window, someone crashed a car... The question of who removed the unnecessary witnesses hung in the air.

The investigation proved that Malakhov pulled out a pistol and managed to fire two bullets. To scare away Talkov's guards who tied him up. His arm was pressed to his body, so he could only shoot at the floor. The guards knocked the gun out of his hands and threw the athlete to the floor. And then the third fatal shot sounded.

From the case materials:

“...the right hand of Malakhov I.V. with the revolver was firmly held by A.M. Barkovsky, and was always directed downward, towards the floor... The barrel of the revolver was I.V. Malakhov. on Talkova I.V. didn’t direct...Shlyafman snatched the pistol from Malakhov’s hands...While beating Malakhov, who was lying on the floor, a third shot was heard...

The shot was fired at close range. Talkov managed to put his left hand forward, covering his heart. The bullet penetrated the arm and then the aorta, the main muscle of the heart. A close shot immediately cuts off the version of a sniper from the audience - this version is still adhered to by the singer’s brother Vladimir.

And only one bullet was removed from the body.

“...Under the circumstances set out in the materials of the criminal case, Malakhov I.V. could not have caused a fatal injury to Talkov I.V. ...Shlyafman V.M. is the only person who caused the fatal wound to I.V. Talkov.”

The murder investigation lasted two months. Only in mid-December were we able to obtain the results of all the examinations. Until that day, according to the existing rules, no one could be arrested. But by that time Shlyafman was already far away - he had left for Israel. Talkov's fans picketed the Israeli embassy, ​​demanding not to issue a visa. But nothing was achieved.

It is known that upon arriving in the promised land, Shlyafman opened a grocery store.

Who stripped the dead artist?

But maybe Shlyafman accidentally fired? Did you want to hit Malakhov and missed?

We don't think so! - Talkov's fans Irina Krasilnikova, Natalya Khlobystova and Igor Sheshunov told us with indignation, - Why did the “stray bullet” hit the heart immediately? Not in the arm, leg or stomach? And on the spot, leaving no chance? In general, only specially trained people shoot so accurately. In addition, the case file says: Igor put his left hand forward, instinctively trying to close himself. That means he saw that the gun was pointed at him. In addition, Shlyafman was not interrogated as a murder suspect, but only as a witness. When an investigator from our prosecutor’s office came to Israel for this, Shlyafman did not appear for questioning, and the Israeli authorities completely forbade questioning their citizen. Therefore, the issue of an accidental shot remains a very big question. The motives that made a person pull the trigger are known only to him. This is why it is necessary to bring the matter to court.

Director of the Yubileiny Concert Hall Olga…. , also does not believe in coincidence. She is one of the witnesses to the tragedy; moreover, Talkov literally died in her arms.

It was an ordinary holiday concert,” Olga Yuryevna recalls that day. “Suddenly there was a call on the internal phone, they were shouting into the receiver: there was shooting behind the scenes!” The first thing I saw when I rushed backstage was Igor’s back. Behind him hung a mirror. Igor took a step and began to slowly slide down the mirror. It was like a vacuum, there was no one around. Usually, if there is noise, the artists run out to look. And then everyone seemed to hide in their dressing rooms. I grabbed Igor's hand.

It seemed to me that he made a movement forward, as if trying to get up. But no, his hand became increasingly colder, his face

it became pale and then somehow greenish. Fog, shock. I scream: help! And no one around...

- Can you remember how Igor’s director behaved before the concert? – I asked.

He was very... fussy, running around. He was wearing a bright shirt with palm trees, very rich colors - impossible not to notice. Dressed up as if for a holiday.

Only 30 minutes after the tragedy the ambulance arrived. The singer was carried out on a stretcher. To Olga Yuryevna’s surprise, Talkov for some reason was wearing only his shorts. Who undressed him, already dead, is still a mystery.

The murder could have been ritualistic

There is an opinion that Talkov was removed by the Freemasons. A world organization that intends to put its people “at the helm” in Russia. Talkov was an intelligent and very educated man, and he figured out this plan. It's obviously worth listening to his latest songs.

Whether Shlyafman was a member of this organization is a question that we are also unlikely to be able to answer now. But it is reliably known that he appeared on the artist’s team after a major scandal. Talkov was photographed with the leader of the “Memory” society, a pronounced anti-Semitic organization. Few people knew that the leader’s mother was Jewish, and he himself acted as a provocateur. There are good reasons to believe that he worked for one of the foreign intelligence services.

Those photographs also became a provocation. The newspapers were full of notes: Talkov has become an anti-Semite! The artist began to be bullied. In response, the confused Igor took Shlyafman into the group. The latter regularly - as people from Talkov’s inner circle say - tried to drag the artist into a fight.

The murder could also be ritual. In the specialized literature there are rules for conducting ritual murders that are very reminiscent of Talkov’s murder. And also - the Royal Family, Sergei Yesenin, monks from Optina Pustyn during Easter. The “ritual” issue was once seriously studied by the scientist Vladimir Ivanovich Dal.

There are too many "coincidences"

The ambulance in which the artist’s body was placed stood near the service entrance for about half an hour. Olga Yuryevna, unable to bear it, looked into the car and asked with hope: are there any chances? To which the doctors answered irritably: yes, he died, it was clear from the very beginning, and don’t interfere at all. What manipulations they performed with the body remains a mystery.
In general, there is a lot of mystical and inexplicable things in this story.

A year and a half before Talkov’s murder, strange posters began to appear: the musicians of the group “Lifebuoy” were smiling and holding a mirror. And in the mirror, in profile, Igor is captured - a greenish-dead color. And on his sleeve there is a triangle with the point down and numbers. The triangle sign with the point down, according to Masonic symbolism, means “cessation of life.”

There was another poster that appeared around the same time: a black silhouette of Talkov falling from the sky, against a blood-red background. And the heart is pierced by a black star - like a bullet, a shot in the heart.

But that's not all! Exactly a year before the artist’s death, director Nikolai Istanbul made the film “Beyond the Last Line,” where the then-living musician starred in the title role. Talkov's opponent in the film - a boxer with a criminal past, played by Evgeny Sidikhin - is surprisingly similar to Malakhov. And the beloved woman, according to the film, is an oriental beauty. True, in the film the heroine was a prostitute, but this does not change matters. But most importantly: the famous scene of the execution of the hero Talkov at point-blank range was filmed on October 6, 1990. Exactly one year before the real murder on October 6, 1991!

Employees of secret missions - Dahl also wrote about this - love to “beautifully frame” their actions: mysticism, symbolism, “amazing coincidences”...

We can't say anything. But, for example, director Gladkov recommended Shlyafman to Igor. The same one who is now protecting the fugitive director as best he can.

Two months before the artist’s death, Gladkov made a strange film: “The Dreams of Igor Talkov.” According to the plot, the musician has already died and speaks from heaven.

I didn’t even know that the picture could become prophetic, but it happens... - the director was surprised on the set of “Property of the Republic”. But his eyes remained cold and impassive.

What role did Aziza play in this story?

Its director in those tragic days was a woman - Ellie Kasimati. And if the singer had sent her, and not an armed athlete, to negotiate with Shlyafman, the tragedy might not have happened.

But it's not only that. Aziza hid the pistol - the main murder weapon - which Shlyafman gave her. If these people ever appear in court, the question will arise: is this a conspiracy?

From the case materials:

“Testimony of witness A.A. Mukhamedova... I heard 3 clicks. I saw a hand with a gun and other hands twisting it, but it was impossible to understand who was holding the gun. After shouting: “gas, gas,” I felt a pain in my eyes and ran into dressing room No. 107. There, an unknown man said that we needed to hide the gun...” Which is what she did.

According to the Yubileiny administrators, on that fateful day behind the scenes Aziza was calm, and even dispassionate.

Now the singer is in constant contact with Igor’s son, Talkov Jr. She became friends, taking advantage of the young man’s special health condition and his lack of money.

Igor Jr. innocently said in one of his TV shows: “I sometimes call Aziza: “Give me a thousand!” And she gives.
Thanks to this friendship, the singer got the opportunity to shout even louder: I am not guilty of murder, so Igor’s son understands this!

But it would be nice for the younger Talkov to know this moment. That on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow to continue the investigation in the fall of 1991, Aziza (the St. Petersburg investigators who were traveling with her in the same car told us about this) all the way... sang. Talkov's body has just been buried, and the woman, before whose eyes the murder took place, is singing! And now the singer goes on TV shows, smearing her tears, grieving: what a poet was killed!

“A very strange thing began to happen to the mirror near which Igor fell,” Olga Yurievna, the administrator of Yubileiny, said finally. “The next day the mirror turned yellow. The administrators scolded the cleaners for not being able to wash away the yellow stains. On the 9th day after Igor left, the mirror began to crack - like nylon tights with arrows. By the 40th day, very deep cracks appeared, and after the 40th day the mirror... no, it didn’t break, it crumbled into dust...

I really hope that this material will attract the attention of the competent authorities. And all those responsible will finally be punished.

On October 6, 1991, rock musician, singer and film actor Igor Talkov was killed in St. Petersburg.
But who killed him?
The official version is that the fatal shot was made by his director Valery Shlyafman. But... is everything so clear?

According to Tatyana Talkova, on October 3 or 4, Igor received a phone call, and the conversation ended with Igor’s response: “Are you threatening me? Fine. Are you declaring war? I accept it. Let's see who comes out the winner."

Many performers performed at the concert, which took place on October 6, 1991 in St. Petersburg at the Yubileiny Sports Palace. A friend of the singer Aziza, at her request, asked Igor Talkov to perform first, since Aziza did not have time to prepare for the performance. Igor called the singer’s director, Igor Malakhov, to his dressing room, and a verbal conflict occurred between them. After that, two of Igor Talkov’s guards took Igor Malakhov out of the dressing room. Igor began to prepare for the performance, but a few minutes later the administrator of his “Lifebuoy” group, Valery Shlyafman, came running to him, shouting that Malakhov had taken out a revolver. Talkov pulled out a gas signal pistol from his bag, which he had acquired for self-defense, ran out into the corridor and, seeing that his guards were under the gun of Igor Malakhov, fired three shots at him. Malakhov ducked down, and the guards, taking advantage of this delay, began to neutralize him. Then he fired two shots, but they hit the floor. The guards began to beat the shooter and, covering his head, he dropped his revolver. A few moments later, another shot was heard, which hit Igor Talkov’s heart. When the ambulance arrived, the doctor immediately determined biological death.

The city prosecutor's office opened a criminal case. Igor Malakhov, who was put on the all-Union wanted list, voluntarily turned himself in 10 days later. In December 1991, the charge of premeditated murder against him was dropped. After conducting examinations in April 1992, the investigation established that Shlyafman fired the last shot. However, in February 1992, the accused had already left for Israel, with which Russia did not have an extradition treaty at that time, and the murder case was suspended.

Version by V. Shlyafman

Valery Shlyafman: “Everyone knows who killed Igor Talkov!”

Valery Shlyafman (right) and Igor Talkov

Valery Shlyafman fled the country four months after the murder of Igor Talkov. It soon became clear that the concert director of the idol of the 80s, who became the main suspect in this heinous crime, was hiding in Israel. All these years Valery refused interviews with Russian journalists...

Meeting Valery Shlyafman was not easy. Fellow journalists in Tel Aviv do not know his address or telephone number. After all, Valery always avoided Jewish media, just like Russian ones. To confuse his tracks, he even married a second time and changed his last name. Now according to his passport he is Vysotsky! I found Valery at his concert agency, whose address was given in confidence by a mutual friend for $300.

In a small room there are two offices at once - a ticket office for selling tickets to concerts of our star touring performers and an agency for renting and selling real estate. In a thin, short man, I did not immediately recognize the alleged killer of the legendary singer.

It's actually not that hard to find me. “Everyone sees and knows me,” Shlyafman grinned wryly, drawing out the first syllables in Odessa style and boring into me with his slightly inflamed black eyes. - Investigators are aware that I am in Israel. Another thing is that until recently I did not want to communicate with the Russian media. For me this is a personal tragedy - my life has been destroyed...

And here's what Shlyafman looks like now

Fight

- I understand that this is not easy for you, but let’s, Valery, remember once again what happened on that fateful evening...

There were gangster times in the 90s. Anyone who had anything to do with criminal structures was then considered almost a president. Igor Malakhov, the director of the singer Aziza, had a brother who was an influential person in the criminal world. Malakhov himself was famous for collecting tribute from prostitutes and small businesses at the Cosmos Hotel.
We came to Leningrad at the invitation of Anatoly Sobchak to perform on Palace Square at the “Rock Against Tanks” show. And three weeks later they took part in a concert at the Yubileiny Palace and from there they were going to fly to Sochi. The presenter came up to me and asked: “Aziza doesn’t have time to change clothes and wants to change places with Igor.” Then I was called to go to the cafeteria, where Aziza and Malakhov, Lolita, and Sasha Tsekalo were sitting. I politely asked: “Who is your director?” To which Malakhov stood up, took me to a corner and began like this: “Valera, sit down and don’t rock the boat! We will go earlier, and you will go later.” Now, at 48, I would have reacted more calmly, but at that time, at 27, hearing something like that was like getting punched in the face. Young, the blood began to sparkle... I went to Igor and explained the situation. Talkov invited director Aziza to come to us. The thieves' jargon began again, and in the end he was taken out.

-Who pulled out the gun first?

Igor Malakhov took out his gun. By the way, that was the first time I saw a real weapon. I immediately ran to Igor’s bag, because he usually carried a small hatchet or gas pistol. Talkov stopped me: “What are you looking for?” I explained, but Igor pushed me away from the bag.
He himself grabbed his gas pistol and ran to Malakhov.

- When you came running, what did you see?

Fight. A lot of people were fighting. Including Igor’s guards, who were listed as stage workers. In Russian show business at that time the concept of “bodyguard” did not exist. The guys transported the scenery and at the same time served as security. Everyone knew that one of Igor’s very close friends was connected with the Solntsevo group. So, I intervened in the fight at the moment when Malakhov’s hand was pressed to the floor, and he was beaten on the back of the head. I heard clicks, the drum was spinning, I rushed and grabbed the pistol from his hands. At the time of the shooting, it was unclear whether anyone was injured or not. I didn’t see Igor again until the moment when they carried him out in their arms.

- How many shell casings were found at the scene?

One bullet hit the column, one somewhere else to the side, and one pierced Talkov’s lung and heart. It is unclear what the investigators did, but they never conducted a real examination.

-Where did the gun go? Elena Kondaurova, the singer’s last beloved woman, said that she saw how the murder weapon was removed.

I hid it in the toilet, in the tank. But Aziza and the costume designer stole the pistol, and then, together with Malakhov, dismantled it piece by piece. At the moment, there is no main evidence - the weapon used to kill Talkov. Why did Igor Malakhov do this? There is a proverb: a thief's hat is on fire. But they made me the main culprit, since there were traces of gunpowder on my shirt. But I picked up Malakhov’s pistol, it couldn’t have been any other way. I returned home, changed my clothes, and threw the shirt into the laundry basket. And the investigators came and made the main material evidence out of it. - When did you decide that you had to flee the country?

Valery SHLYAFMAN, Igor TALKOV and Elena KANDAUROVA on the platform
Moskovsky station in Leningrad the day before the tragedy diy

I came to St. Petersburg for questioning, and the investigator from the prosecutor’s office said: “You need to leave. Go to Israel to visit your parents. Two witnesses have testified against you.” They placed Igor Malakhov at the entrance to the prosecutor’s office so that it would put pressure on my psyche. Malakhov had nothing. For some reason they decided that I had fired the third shot. At the trial, he himself spoke about two shots, but did not confirm the third, which became fatal. Although, according to my sources, in drunken conversations he confessed to the murder more than once.

- How did his fate turn out?

Left for South Africa. Got married. Drinks a lot.

Fates

- How did you get to the Promised Land?

The murder occurred on October 6. And I left on February 12! I didn't run away. He warned Talkov’s wife that I was going to Israel. It was in everyone’s interest that the matter would be hushed up and that they would turn a blind eye to my departure. I flew to Tel Aviv via Kyiv. The investigator came here five months later and wanted to interrogate me. He was not allowed.
The Russian prosecutor's office made so many inquiries about me! And the Israeli prosecutor's office told them: send the case materials, if he is guilty, we will judge him, and if not, leave him alone. The file was not sent. Nobody wants to be taken to the end. And then rumors appeared in the Russian press that the murder was organized by Israeli intelligence! Rave.
About eight years ago they sent me a document stating that the case was being closed due to statute of limitations. I had to sign, but I refused. This meant that the crime had not been solved and this folder could be opened at any moment. I stated that I could only sign a termination for lack of evidence of a crime. This would acknowledge my innocence.

- Is it no longer important for you that Talkov’s murder is solved?

Important. But there is no need to look for the killer. Everyone knows who did it and how. For me, the culprit was found on the very first day when the tragedy occurred. But all the evidence has disappeared, so today it is impossible to find the culprit. And that’s how it was. Malakhov was hit on the back of the head, he automatically reached for the pistol. Shot. It’s amazing how easily he was released; so many legal laws were violated. People from the criminal world already had connections with the authorities.

A month before the incident, Talkov wrote an exposing song about President Boris Yeltsin and sent it to him. Everyone said: “What are you doing?” I know, Igor got a call before the fateful tour. Tanya heard Talkov say: “You won’t intimidate me.” This is where rumors began that organs were involved in the murder.

- And Aziza?

Aziza is an unhappy person, she is not to blame for anything. It was her director who behaved incorrectly then. He told her: “Do this and that, take out the weapon, you need to throw it away.” He behaved like a bandit: he pulled out the weapon, took it apart piece by piece and drowned it in the river.

- How long have you collaborated with Igor?

One and half year. Before that I worked with Lyudmila Senchina. Talkov’s relationship with the former director collapsed: stadiums appeared, money became different, and no one understood how to work with it. We were shocked by the opportunities that opened up for us. Every evening Talkov came to my house. Igor has changed: he has become softer and kinder. I remember how we were traveling on the train shortly before the events and he said: “God sent you to me. What a blessing that we are collaborating.” At all the concerts that we worked on, I did not leave the stage until the last song.

- Who was Elena Kondaurova for Talkov?

Lena and Igor met at my house a few months before their death. She became his girlfriend. Nobody knows how their relationship would have turned out...

- Is it true that she was expecting a child from him, but after this event there was a miscarriage?

I only remember that Elena said: “I want a child from him.”

- How do you mark the date of Igor’s death?

I don’t light a candle, but every year, on October 6th, I remember it. There is not a moment when I don’t think about it.

- Do you communicate with Talkov’s wife?

Not with Tanya, but I call back with the artist guys, Elena Kondaurova. With all those who have not turned their backs on me.

- Don’t you want to come to Russia?

I've been here for 21 years, which is a long time. He got married and had two children. I deal with real estate and tickets. Never set foot in Russia again!

This story had a strange impact on the fates of all participants. As it turned out later, Aziza was expecting a child from Igor Malakhov at that time and lost him because of her worries. She broke up with Malakhov, but was never able to give birth. Elena Kondaurova had a miscarriage from Talkov, and she is childless. All the guards involved in the fight, one after another, tragically died under strange circumstances, you have...

Life also collapsed. When I left for Israel, my little daughter remained in Moscow. I haven't seen her for many years. I tried not to communicate with them and hide them so that the press would not ruin their lives. Even in Israel I avoided communicating with journalists. When I first arrived, I opened a grocery store in the town of Ramatgan. People came in only to gawk at Talkov’s killer. I changed cities and took my wife’s last name. Many thought that this was a nickname - Vysotsky. Now I am raising children and living the normal life of an average Russian Israeli.
(from here)

And this is MALAKHOV. It is him who Valery SHLYAFMAN calls TALKOV’s killer

I can’t even believe that Valera is saying such nonsense! “I didn’t pull out the gun, much less give it to Malakhov,” singer Aziza commented on the interview. - Why did Valera come up with all this? I don’t know why Shlyafman is now interfering with me in this scandal of twenty years ago. Maybe because everyone hounded him and he, like Malakhov, left the country? And all these years I have not been hiding from anyone, I have never undertaken to blame anyone for Igor’s death, because I have no right to do so. Unlike Shlyafman, I have excellent relations with Talkov’s family: with his wife Tanya, with his son Igor Jr. In my opinion, this tragedy would not have happened if it were not for Talkov’s entourage, I mean his guards, who intervened in this fight.

Recently it became known:

Talkov's killer himself is dying

Igor Malakhov changed his last name and hid in the forest

For 22 years there was no information about the director of AZIZA, Igor MALAKHOV, during a fight with whom singer Igor TALKOV died. His acquaintances said that he left Russia for South Africa and was engaged in a business related to precious stones. And only when Igor Malakhov recently ended up in the intensive care unit of one of the capital’s hospitals, the truth became known.

Today it is clear that the murder of the idol of the 80s and 90s, Igor Talkov, will never be solved. One of the perpetrators of the fight at Yubileiny, where the singer’s last performance took place, may take the secret to his grave. Because he himself is dying.
It was from the pistol of Igor Malakhov, who was a member of the Solntsevo criminal group, that Igor Talkov was shot. Although St. Petersburg investigators, relying on ballistic examination, decided that the shot was fired by the singer’s director Valery Shlyafman, who allegedly snatched the weapon from Malakhov’s hands, many continue to suspect Igor.
The singer Aziza, whose director Malakhov then worked, never spoke about his whereabouts. But, having learned that he was dying, she could not remain silent.

The best doctors are fighting for the life of Igor Viktorovich RUSA, whom the whole country knows under a completely different name.

Mistress

“Igor is in the hospital, dying,” says Aziza. “When I found out about what happened, I started calling him. Nobody answered the phone. He has a severe form of diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver... Blood transfusions are done every day. I asked the musicians to donate blood.

- Did you hear the version that they shot him later?
- This is not true... Igor drank heavily at one time, it was. Mutual friends said that when he walked, blood oozed from under his toenails. He didn’t listen to anyone, he rejected doctors, he was treated with herbs... I told him about the diet, but he didn’t follow it. Igor left people. He lived with his family in the forest and prayed to God. I almost fell when I found out that he was in the hospital.

- How did you keep in touch with him?
- He called himself. Happy birthday every year. From a human perspective, I feel very sorry for him: I loved him, I wanted to have a child with him, but I couldn’t bear it due to nervous stress. When a person dies, it becomes scary. The last time Igor called was in April on my birthday. I never reminded him of Talkov. All the time he asked me for forgiveness, he began the conversation with these words: “If I am guilty of something, forgive me.” I said: “Why are you doing this?”

In this luxurious mansion MALAKHOV hid from journalists for many years

- When did you break up with Igor?
- We were together until 1994. Igor's younger brother was shot, and he was very worried. Dashing times of the 90s... The killer was never found. So many destinies have been crippled. Malakhov was a gifted and intelligent person, but everything turned out tragically. And I feel sorry for Valerka Shlyafman...

- Why did you break up? Because of Talkov?
- After Talkov’s death, he became nervous, strange, inadequate. He took it out on me and made a scandal. We both decided to separate. Everything worked out for Igor: he has a wife, he has children, but I don’t... Only recently I became the godmother of Talkov’s grandson, Svyatoslav. And now I’ll go to Malakhov’s hospital and bring my father. I'll help you with medicine. Igor’s poor mother, Galina Stepanovna: one son was killed, the second is dying...

MALAKHOV's mother came from Siberia to look after her grandchildren. The youngest is behind her

Hermit

For 22 years, journalists could not find Igor Malakhov for a simple reason: he did not go abroad, but to a remote village and changed his last name. According to his passport, he is now Igor Viktorovich Rus. By the way, the second murder suspect, Valery Shlyafman, fled to Israel and became Vysotsky.

“We didn’t know that Igor was connected with Talkov’s murder,” one of Malakhov’s neighbors told me last week. - His last name is different. We have only ten houses in our village. Igor finally built and settled here about seven years ago...

It was also possible to find out that Rus-Malakhov married actress Ksenia Kuznetsova, known for her role in the children’s TV show “ABVGDeyka” and her role in the film “Admiral.” They have two sons with Scandinavian names, the youngest Rurik is two years old, Ingvard is five.

Ksenia KUZNETSOVA - famous film actress

At Igor Malakhov’s house we were met by his mother, Galina Stepanovna. Having learned that journalists had arrived, she asked to leave immediately.
“We lived as hermits, didn’t bother anyone, we were building a house,” the elderly woman says with tears. - What do you want from him? If it weren't for the hospital, no one would have known. I came from Siberia to help with my grandchildren. Ksenia never leaves her son’s side in the hospital. So many days in intensive care. I know that Aziza came to Igor. Only he didn’t want to see her. Who is she to him? He has a legal wife. Aziza, if she wanted, would live with Igor. She left on her own. My son’s life has just worked out... Maybe they will save him.

Aziza (left) became the godmother of Igor TALKOV's grandson. The son of the late musician is on the far right

Igor MALAKHOV.

Shlyafman will not return to Russia

Investigator Oleg BLINOV, who headed the investigation team for the murder of TALKOV, quit after a couple of years and became a lawyer.

Talkov's fans want to resume the case, says Oleg Blinov. - But it can only be moved from a dead point if Shlyafman comes to Russia and admits that he shot.
You will have to wait until the carrot plot, Valery is not going to return.
(from here)

Naturally. Shlyafman is not an idiot...
I remember those days, at first everything seemed to be clear who shot, and then suddenly the director Talkov himself was declared guilty... It was quite a strange feeling when on television the investigator - a puny, ugly little man - pronounced Shlyafman’s name with obvious malice. This begs the question: “Is V an anti-Semite?”

No, even then I understood that “someone somewhere here sometimes” takes bribes, but for an investigator to brazenly ruin a case - then it was still wild for me...

Alas, the truth in the case of the death of Igor Talkov can now hardly be established. All that remains is to mourn the murdered Russian singer.

One day Igor was flying to a concert in Tyumen with his group. When the plane hit a thundercloud, everyone began to worry. Then Igor Talkov said: “Don’t be afraid. As long as you are with me, you will not die. They will kill me in front of a large crowd of people, and the killer will not be found.” After this incident, the song “I'll be back” was written.

Rest, O Lord, Thy servant.

The Investigative Committee of Russia has decided to resume the investigation into the criminal case of the murder of singer Igor Talkov. The performer was shot dead during a concert on October 6, 1991 at the Yubileiny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg. Until now, the circumstances of the incident are shrouded in mystery.

What happened

Writer Fyodor Razzakov in his book “Dossier on the Stars. Behind the Scenes of Show Business” and the media described in detail the events of that day.

On October 6, a gala concert was held at Yubileiny, in which singer Aziza (Mukhamedova) and Igor Talkov were supposed to take part. The conflict allegedly arose over who would go on stage first. So, Aziza’s friend Igor Malakhov allegedly demanded that she be there later. Talkov administrator Valery Shlyafman was categorically against it.

At about 16:00 Malakhov approached Talkov’s dressing room and announced his desire. They began to argue with Shlyafman, and a skirmish ensued. Talkov’s administrator shouted the conventional: “They’re beating our people,” after which the singer flew out of the dressing room with a gas pistol in his hands. And Malakhov turned out to have a revolver of the 1895 model. Aziza’s friend shot at the floor, after which the guards who were on the spot tied his hands.

The pistol, which had two more cartridges, flew out of his hands. A few seconds later, someone grabbed him and started shooting. One bullet hit Igor Talkov in the chest.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Malakhov started to run. Already on the street, as described, Aziza caught up with him and grabbed a pistol (according to another version, Aziza handed over the weapon through the artistic director of the Scarlet Flower charity concert organization Ella Kasimati). One way or another, the weapon was returned to the owner. He jumped into a taxi, and later disassembled and threw away the firearms: some in the Moika, some in the Fontanka.

Talkov died a few minutes later in Yubileiny. As it later turned out, he had a penetrating gunshot wound to the chest with damage to the heart and lung, as well as enormous blood loss.

When doctors arrived at the scene of the incident, he was already dead. However, fans demanded to save their idol. Fearing reprisals, doctors took him to the hospital, and from there they transported the body to the morgue.

The murder investigation was taken under maximum control. The examination and establishment of the circumstances of the incident was carried out by the Doctor of Medical Sciences of the Military Academy of St. Petersburg.

Malakhov?

The first person suspected of murder was Aziza’s bodyguard and friend, who pulled out a gun.

Four days after the tragedy, he was put on the all-Union wanted list. True, Malakhov himself, having learned about this, voluntarily came to law enforcement officers and began to testify. Two and a half months later, at the end of December, the charges of premeditated murder against him were dropped. However, the investigation did not rule out that Malakhov could have shot Talkov through negligence.

Valery Shlyafman

In the spring of 1992, the results of a number of examinations were ready, which helped determine how people were standing at the time of the incident. According to them, the shot was fired by Igor Talkov’s administrator Valery Shlyafman. It was assumed that the murder was committed through negligence.

In May of the same year, an arrest order was issued, but the accused... was not in Russia. He left for Israel.

Shlyafman himself continued to blame Malakhov for everything. So, in 2012, in an interview with Express Newspaper, he stated that “the culprit was found on the first day.” According to him, on October 6, 1991, Talkov’s guards hit Malakhov on the back of the head. The latter reflexively reached for the pistol and fired.

In 2013, the investigation was suspended, reported "". The fact is that Shlyafman remained in Israel. But Russia does not have an agreement with this country on the extradition of citizens.

At the same time, the official representative of the Investigative Committee of St. Petersburg, Sergei Kapitonov, then emphasized that the case had been solved.

Aziza

Fans have repeatedly named Aziza as Talkov’s killer. The motive for this was the fact that the pistol returned to Malakhov not without her help. Aziza herself said that she was not threatened with violence, however, as “” wrote, she spent more than one day in the St. Petersburg Pribaltiyskaya Hotel.

In addition, in 2016, in the “Live” program, Aziza announced that she was pregnant. Three days after the tragedy, the child died in the womb.

I ran out of the dressing room into the corridor, saw a lot of people, Malakhov was bleeding from his head. I ran, tearing off my jacket and covered Igor’s head. Valera kicked me in the stomach. All this in a gas cloud, it hurt my eyes. When I howled in pain and horror, I saw that Shlyafman was standing in front of me. “He noticed this and ran to the dressing room,” she recalled.

Accident

Vladimir Solovyov, a senior forensic investigator at the Main Directorate of Criminalistics of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, a former consultant on the Talkov murder case, did not rule out that the singer was killed by a fatal accident.

While working on the case, I got the impression that it was a random murder. His producer accidentally fired and there can be nothing new there, it has already been said many times. I was in charge of this case when he was killed, I, as a criminologist, studied these materials, gave some consultations, I was not an investigator, but I knew the materials, and I got the full impression that it was an accidental murder, - Vladimir Solovyov commented to Life .

He assumed that Shlyafman grabbed a revolver and wanted to discharge it somewhere into the ceiling.

He clicked once, twice, three times, there was no shot, and then he could accidentally hit Talkov, thinking that he was empty, the drum was empty and there were no cartridges in the revolver,” Solovyov noted.

Political assassination

Former career intelligence officer Mikhail Kryzhanovsky told Gordon Boulevard about the political version.

In September 1991, after the failed anti-Gorbachev putsch, the State Emergency Committee Talkov wrote on behalf of the people an appeal to Yeltsin - the song “Mr. President,” Kryzhanovsky recalled.

He described the song as a direct call for the overthrow of Gorbachev. Kryzhanovsky was sure: Igor Talkov wanted to perform it then in St. Petersburg. And in November I will also sing during a concert at the Olimpiysky. And they allegedly decided to remove it publicly so that “others would be discouraged.” By the way, the version about the political motive of the crime became one of the most widespread in the 90s.

The son of the murdered performer, in a comment to Life, said that he also considers the crime to be politically motivated.

It seems to me that we need to look deeper, more philosophically, why poets are being killed, why my father was liquidated at that time. The secret services checked everything. “To destroy a man who had a social platform, who could educate people,” he said.

Igor Talkov believes that no one will now investigate the massacre of his father as a political murder. In addition, he noted that people have already been given “scapegoats.”

The people have already been given scapegoats. For some, this is Aziza; for intellectual lovers of fortune telling, this is Malakhov or Shlyafman,” Talkov Jr. emphasized.

I hope that there will be new circumstances in the case. You know, I’m probably a naive person: I still believe in justice. In any case, such a wave after 27 years, it adds confidence and optimism to me, and maybe justice will prevail after all,” Tatyana told Life.

Igor Talkov's grave is located at the Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow.