Armen Sarkisyan "Horlivskyi": the life path of the notorious gangster

Armen Sarkisyan "Horlivskyi": the life path of the notorious gangster

Armen Sarkisyan, better known by the nickname Armen "Horlivskyi" Sarkisyan, holds a position in the criminal world of modern Ukraine.

According to sources, "Armen Horlivskyi" is close to the structures of businessman Yuriy Ivanyushchenko (Yura Yenakiyevskyi), and even leads an independent brigade of militants who perform various tasks for Yenakiyevskyi.

The latest of such tasks, according to rumors, is the visit of one of Armen Horlivskyi’s brigades to Odesa, where the brave guys intend to help the Avramov brothers strengthen their influence. They were already in charge here during Yanukovych’s era, but after his escape, the Avramov brothers experienced some trouble, and their former influence began to wane.

 

Left: Avramov brothers and Oleksandr Yanukovych

By the way, the names and nicknames of the arriving militants’ leaders are also known. They are Oleksandr Baturyn (Batura) and Zuyev (Zuy). According to some information, the militants are given practically a carte blanche, and they can resolve issues by any means, up to and including the elimination of people inconvenient to the Avramovs. Interestingly, this group of militants is financed by one of the founders of the 7th km market, Borys Melnychuk, who is part of Yanukovych’s "family".

Horlivka

Armen Sarkisyan acquired his nickname not by accident. He was born in the city of Horlivka in 1978. Before certain events, no one had heard anything about him; the young man did not differ from his peers. In Horlivka, there were always harsh street laws, which later carried over to capitalism’s new era of development, when newly minted entrepreneurs began to be pursued by racketeers.

The fierce crews that emerged from former schoolchildren did not disdain anything. Cooperatives were beaten almost daily, and young groups knew nothing but physical influence on their victims. All of this could not be curbed by the "elders", for whom uncontrolled youth was also a problem. Due to their chaos, true authorities were constantly pressured by law enforcement.

The youth, having experienced impunity, mastered a new type of activity – robbery and assault. Residents were then afraid even in daylight to stay on deserted streets as attacks by hooligans for instant profit in the form of a wallet or jewelry became systematic.

Eventually, law enforcement probably realized that they needed to take control of the situation in Horlivka. It was one of the first cities to have its own brigade of police officers, who took the path of racket, but in a more civilized form. It was these "turncoats in uniform" from Horlivka who agreed in informal meetings with the hooligans about cooperation. Police then did not search for racketeers; they controlled them, receiving a certain percentage from criminal activities.

By the end of the 1980s, police practically controlled the entire city. The "turncoats" appointed their people to various positions. For example, leadership roles in fire stations subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs were occupied by repeated offenders Serhiy Danylchenko (Kuwalda) and Hennadiy Zhytnyk (Khlist). However, this did not prevent them from organizing attacks on wealthy citizens.

Horlivka’s police gave free rein to their hooligans, that they started leaving behind corpses during raids. Other victims faced kidnappings and torture, which eventually ended in death.

Horlivka — criminal gangs

With the start of the 1990s, when the deaths of authorities and thieves were rampant everywhere, Horlivka seemed to have gone through this stage ahead of time, several years earlier. In the city, several organized crime groups had strong positions, backed by a "cover" in the form of the law enforcement system. Bandits were helped by the regional Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the prosecutor’s office, courts, the Security Service of Ukraine, and local authorities. Overall, it was such a criminal octopus that nobody then thought where the trail would lead.

In Horlivka, several powerful organized crime groups existed, distributing almost all criminal businesses among themselves over time. The most influential group in Horlivka was the Yenakiyeve group, which controlled points of reception and sale of metal. It was one of the lucrative businesses with large amounts of black cash constantly circulating. They had to fight for this market with other organized crime groups, but ultimately the authorities of Borenka and Khariton groups defended this part of the business, as well as enterprises in the mining equipment sector. In addition to metal, the Yenakiyeve group controlled the vodka and taxi markets. In fact, the Yenakiyeve group wanted to expand their vodka business, and supplied the city with counterfeit alcohol for this purpose.

 

Yuriy Ivanyushchenko - Yura Yenakiyevskyi

Another large crime group known as the Kyivski concentrated on gas stations. The group was led by authorities Kyivs’kyi, Titukha, and Khmyr. The group had an extensive area of influence, taking control of all new gas stations. Later, the automotive service stations and automotive stores selling spare parts also fell under the criminal "roof" of Kyivs’kyi.

Markets, stores, and small trade cooperatives were taken over by the "Kovbasnyky" gang. The profit from each point was several times less than that from metal, but due to the numerous trading points, the total revenue from the gangs didn’t differ by much. Because there were the most stores and markets, other Horlivka crime groups tried to intervene in this area. For instance, the Voloshyn brothers’ organized crime group had its share in almost all spheres of business, but a little bit in every area. They declared war on the "Kovbasnyky" in pursuit of control over the city’s Central Market. However, their forces were unequal. Ultimately, during the war, several criminal authorities were killed, and the "Kovbasnyky" gang split into two, leading to a war over the market between three gangs. Victory in this bloody gang war was won by the brigade of Danylo, who parted from "Kovbasnyky", forming his own gang. Subsequently, Danylo strengthened his position by recruiting athletes who were not against earning through criminal activities.

As for thieves in law, they were not welcomed in Horlivka. The local authority’s "roof" in the form of the law enforcement system periodically drove them out of the city. Therefore, the authorities didn’t feel any criminal control over them and didn’t contribute to the thieves’ common fund.

It is worth noting that in the early 2000s, the most significant weight in Horlivka was held by Yuriy Ivanyushchenko’s (Yura Yenakiyevskyi) brigade — the Yenakiyeve group. In the city, there was even a representative of Yenakiyevskyi — twice convicted Oleksandr Baturyn nicknamed Batura. He managed the bandits and reported all successes and failures directly to the boss, who at that time assisted Yanukovych in his political career, who already was the region’s governor.

Armen "Horlivskyi" Sarkisyan

While all these criminal territorial disputes were taking place in Horlivka, Armen Sarkisyan was a teenager. He was involved in boxing, and his father Nagapet Sarkisyan at that time already had extensive connections with the Armenian diaspora and Armenian authorities. There weren’t many Armenians in Horlivka, and they mainly engaged in business. Using connections with the Armenian mafia, Nagapet Sarkisyan organized the protection of his compatriots’ businesses in the city. In serious conflict situations, a brigade of Armenian militants would arrive in the city and usually settle the conflict.

 

Armen "Horlivskyi" Sarkisyan

When Armen Sarkisyan came of age, he decided to create his own brigade from boxers to control local business. However, his father, familiar with the entire criminal layout, dissuaded his son from such a step. Nagapet Sarkisyan explained that everything in Horlivka was already long divided among gangs, and their leaders would not tolerate a new competitor. Despite the help from Armenian organized crime groups, local authorities would go to war.

But the father gave advice to his son, eager for the criminal abyss — to join some strong brigade. He even advised the most influential one — Oleksandr Baturyn’s brigade from the Yenakiyeve group. Armen Sarkisyan approached the authority, of course, under the auspices of his influential father, and Batura accepted him into his team. As it turned out, Sarkisyan’s arrival only positively affected the further activities of the Yenakiyeve group.

Young people were full of gangster romance and enthusiastically took on any tasks. Initially, the tasks were mainly intimidation, beatings, torture, and reportedly, elimination of those unwanted by the gang. Mainly, the victims of the new brigade were Horlivka entrepreneurs. Later, impressed by the success of the young and daring guys, Yura Yenakiyevskyi began sending them on "tours" to other cities. Thus Armen got his nickname, Armen "Horlivskyi" Sarkisyan, which distinguished him outside his native city. By the way, like any other criminal leaders, Sarkisyan decided to somewhat legalize his activities by creating a private security company, "Authority," in the city.

Master of the City

In 2009, according to sources, Armen "Horlivskyi" Sarkisyan became the second "watchman" of Yuriy Ivanyushchenko in Horlivka. To influence the masses, a new approach was required in the new digital era. Armen Horlivskyi, according to sources, carried out a raider takeover of the local city news site and the newspaper "Horlivsky Express," previously owned by businessman Oleksandr Bilinskyi. The raid was facilitated by Volodymyr Veselkin, Bilinskyi’s business partner.

 

Left: Armen Sarkisyan — "Armen Horlivskyi"

Becoming practically the city’s master thanks to the arrival of the "Donetsk people," "Armen Horlivskyi" found connections at the higher echelons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was then appointed vice president of the Horlivka Boxing Federation, and Donetsk crime authority Gena Uzbek started appearing frequently in his close circle. In the early 2010s, Armen controlled the coal business of Yuriy Ivanyushchenko. Sources specifically mention the state-owned enterprise "Artemvuhillya," which was subordinated to the bandits while receiving money from the state budget.

Maidan and "Armen Horlivskyi"

During the Maidan, Horlivka became one of the "suppliers" of the so-called "titushky" who dispersed protesters against the government. Moreover, the athletes or Armen Horlivskyi’s fighters were not just involved in actions in Kyiv but were also present during the dispersal of a demonstration in Donetsk.

In Kyiv, Sarkisyan’s fighters were led by Yuriy Krysin. On February 19, they killed journalist Vyacheslav Veremiy for filming them from his car. However, Krysin was later caught and convicted. Shockingly, he was given a suspended sentence, which surprised many.

 

Yuriy Krysin

In his native Horlivka, the murder of oppositionist Volodymyr Rybak, which is also attributed to Armen Horlivskyi Sarkisyan’s brigade, occurred. However, according to the official version, Rybak was dealt with by Bezler’s people.

"Armen Horlivskyi" — latest news

According to media reports, "Armen Horlivskyi" was declared on the federal wanted list and even detained in France. However, this information has not been 100% confirmed. According to some data, he did indeed leave occupied Horlivka, but he keeps his finger on the "pulse," continuing to control the city from abroad. In August 2018, his brigadiers were seen in Odesa, probably on an assignment from their boss. And he, in turn, received a command to seize power in Odesa from Yuriy Ivanyushchenko.

 

Yuriy Ivanyushchenko - Yura Yenakiyevskyi

The point is that in the city, previously controlled by Ivanyushchenko’s allies — the Avramov brothers, people considered competitors of the Avramov brothers are coming to power. After Euromaidan, the brothers surrendered their positions and lost control over many spheres. Now, to revive their former influence, they need help from the outside. And it was Yura Yenakiyevskyi who decided to help the brothers in such a crucial moment, who evidently has big plans for Odesa. And since Ivanyushchenko has such a battle-proven resource as the "Armen Horlivskyi" brigade, it’s a good opportunity to take control of the city into his own hands. Another asset for the authoritative businessman won’t hurt at all.