The "Neverovskie" syndicate: Fugitives Sergei Neverov and Vitaly Portnov and their global trail of blood and corruption

The Tolyatti organized crime group known as the “Neverovskie” remains synonymous with a series of brutal murders that continue to haunt witnesses, while its alleged leaders — Sergei “Never” Neverov and Vitaly “Port” Portnov — have never been brought to justice.

And if a lot is known about Mr. Never, in particular that after clouds gathered over his reckless head, he moved to Kyiv, where he changed documents and turned into Sergei Trofimov, then about his closest accomplice Vitaly Portnov, since he fled Tolyatti, it is only known that Port disappeared without a trace abroad. But in January of last year, Vitaly Portnov was put on the international wanted list, just like his friend Neverov before him.

Meanwhile, court proceedings against members of Neverov’s gang continue. And just the other day, the Samara Regional Court sentenced three bandits from the “Neverovskie” organized criminal group at once: the court found Igor Svezhentsev, Pavel Barsukov, and Maxim Sidorenkov guilty of organizing or participating in a criminal community, banditry, and so on. These “athletes” received terms from 8.5 to 12 years and 9 months of imprisonment in a strict regime colony.

But the two main figures — the still elusive Neverov and Portnov — have not yet sat on the defendants’ bench, and meanwhile, as the trials of gang members proceeded, new shocking details of the criminal community’s activities, which instilled fear in everything alive for many years, have surfaced.

Portnov — the main man for “saucers”

The “Neverovskie” organized criminal group was created in 1997 in the Samara region by Sergei Neverov to establish control over commercial structures. He himself was a “tough nut”, as he had served time in prison, and Never was imprisoned for assault and battery.

As legal cover, gang members used business: their sphere of interest included the “Kapital” shopping center, the “Volzhskie Zori” trading house, the Vegas gambling network, the Green House nightclub (managed by Vitaly Portnov), the construction companies “GrandStroy” and “Avtogradstroy”.

And for the investigation today, the more interesting figure is the one who has gone off all radars — Vitaly Portnov, who in Neverov’s gang was responsible for the common fund, since the place of residence of Sergei Neverov-Trofimov is known: the city of Kyiv, Ukraine.

Moreover, a hitman has already visited Never twice.

But, apparently, Never was born under a lucky star.

Before his escape, Vitaly Portnov lived in a huge house for the very rich on the so-called “Glade of the Poor” (in the mouths of some — Tsarskoye Selo) in Tolyatti. This impressive building was surrounded by a five-meter fence entwined with barbed wire.

Today, 55-year-old Vitaly Portnov is wanted under articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for “Intentional Murder”, “Participation in a Criminal Community”, “Banditry”, and “Robbery”.

Portnov’s role consisted in managing the common fund business and financing the organized criminal group.

As numerous witnesses have already stated, Portnov owned LLC “FORC Slon”, LLC “Lucky Lada”, LLC “Lucky”, LLC “Cosmic Alternative”, as well as LLC “SK Istok”.

This company was engaged in the construction of elite settlements in the Stavropol district of Tolyatti.

And it was Portnov who opened one of the first casinos in Tolyatti in the “Volzhskie Zori” shopping center.

Vitaly Portnov

And the gambling business became one of the main sources of income both for Portnov himself and for Neverov’s organized criminal group.

Slot machine salons were on the balance sheet of LLC “Lucky Lada” and LLC “Lucky”, and after the ban on gambling business, Portnov — as was again stated in court proceedings — continued his business underground.

In 2010, a split occurred in Neverov’s organized criminal group: the gang leader Never quarreled with Portnov himself and with another member of the organized criminal group — Alexander Petrovsky.

The reason for the quarrel? They could not divide the retail space of the “Kapital” shopping center between themselves. And weapons came into play.

“Kapital” shopping center in Tolyatti

Neverov splashed off to Kyiv.

And Vitaly Portnov continued to live and “work” in Tolyatti for some time, since he had “his” people both in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and in the prosecutor’s office. But soon these useful acquaintances dried up, and Portnov was also forced to flee.

Today, investigators link Portnov with one of the most famous Tolyatti hitmen — Vadim Zhestkov, who was part of Neverov’s organized criminal group.

It was Zhestkov who carried out the first assassination attempt on Neverov in Kyiv.

But Never survived: the killer’s weapon jammed.

What else was Zhestkov known for? The hitman was charged with the 2005 murder of oil trader Pavel Zhelanov.

After his arrest, Zhestkov was placed in Samara Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1, but did not stay behind bars for long. It turned out that Zhestkov managed to give testimony: he handed over a warehouse of Neverov’s weapons. And he suddenly died under mysterious circumstances, although at 45 he was healthy as a bull.

Neverov’s gang members

Today, Vitaly Portnov himself is a figure in a combined case involving 35 serious and especially serious crimes: he has already been charged in absentia with participation in an organized criminal group and gang, as well as murders, attempted murders, and robberies.

The assassination attempt in the “Beer Garden”

Another assassination attempt on Sergei Neverov occurred in mid-July 2013 at the “Beer Garden” hotel, which is located in Kyiv on the territory of the “Goloseevo” park-hotel.

“Beer Garden” restaurant

This time the pistol did not jam, and the killer shot Neverov in the head. But Neverov survived because he received a glancing wound to the face.

This time, the investigation considered Neverov’s longtime competitor in the Tolyatti wars Igor Sirotenko (also known as Sirota) to be the customer of the assassination attempt.

Igor Sirotenko (Sirota)

Later, Sergei Neverov, who in Kyiv began to be called Trofimov, officially became the founder of the “Yasnosvit” charity foundation. This foundation was registered in the Desnyansky district of Kyiv: the foundation collects funds and sponsors the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

But, as it turns out, some Russian commercial companies still operate in Neverov’s interests, in particular TK “Karetny Dvor” in Tolyatti.

This was also reported by members of Neverov’s gang during court proceedings.

This company continues to bring Neverov a decent profit! As the media wrote. The affairs of GEK “Karetny Dvor” are handled by Neverov’s sister, who lives in Tolyatti.

And as was already stated in court proceedings, the money to Ukraine was carried by Neverov’s mistress — accountant Anzhela.

Six gang formations

The history of the “Neverovskie” organized criminal group, let us recall, began in 1997. Then Sergei Neverov, who had returned from prison, began to gather friends and comrades around him.

The “Neverovskie” organized criminal group included six gangs, one of which was led by former Ministry of Internal Affairs employee Igor Svezhentsev, and working with him were Pavel Barsukov and Maxim Sidorenko.

In 2012-2013, they set out to organize the murder of organized criminal group members Alexander Petrovsky and Oleg Zaguzov. These two were ordered by Neverov, who had major disagreements with the same Petrovsky over the division of retail space in the “Kapital” shopping center. But they failed to “whack” Petrovsky and Zaguzov.

And the defendants in the criminal case ultimately became Sergei Neverov, Igor Svezhentsev, Pavel Barsukov, and Maxim Sidorenko.

Neverov’s gang members

The criminal case of Igor Svezhentsev’s brigade was transferred to the Samara Regional Court in the fall of 2024.

After two years of hearings, the court announced its decision: the members of the organized criminal group received huge prison terms in a strict regime colony.

At the end of 2025, a new wave of detentions of “Neverovskie” organized criminal group figures took place in the Samara region, including businessmen and former security officers.

But law enforcement has not yet reached Neverov and Portnov.

In tandem with Bluvshtein

But the investigation found out: Vitaly Portnov is a key figure in the criminal case of Neverov’s organized criminal group.

In the late 1990s and 2000s, Portnov headed the largest network of gambling clubs “Lucky Lada” in Tolyatti. The profit from this business went to finance the organized criminal group.

And Portnov is charged with direct participation in banditry, armed robberies, and a series of contract killings.

Together with Rostislav Bluvshtein, Portnov created a network of gambling salons. First it was the “Ambassador” salon, which operated in the building of the “Volzhskie Zori” shopping center.

Then the “Royal” casino opened and a network of small slot machine salons right at bus stops.

The business operated under the watchful eye of Sergei Neverov.

Portnov’s casino

But criminal wars also began to flare up. In January 2013, Igor Tyrlyshkin was shot. The killer ambushed Tyrlyshkin in the courtyard of his house. Tyrlyshkin was also a member of the organized criminal group: he was responsible for equipment and arming.

And the murder of Tyrlyshkin could have been ordered by Vitaly Portnov.

After the murder of Tyrlyshkin, his widow Elena Braeva stated in Andrei Karaulov’s program “Moment of Truth” that her husband was ordered killed precisely by Vitaly Portnov.

Tyrlyshkin’s widow claimed that a conflict over the division of business assets had occurred between the partners.

And this led to the murder.

Monument on Tyrlyshkin’s grave

Igor Tyrlyshkin in the organized criminal group was also responsible for the economic direction of the gang’s activities and stood behind companies that participated in municipal tenders for construction work.

How they plundered AvtoVAZ

It should also be recalled that in the 1990s Neverov’s organized criminal group fought for control over AvtoVAZ.

The attention of the criminal world was drawn to the Volga Automobile Plant even at the construction stage.

In the early 1970s, not only automobile production but also cynical theft of spare parts, paints and varnishes, and other items was put on stream. Stolen equipment from the car plant was taken out by loaders and then reloaded onto KAMAZ trucks.

The main source of income was quotas, or, in criminal slang, “cells”, for car sales.

And Neverov’s group hauled spare parts from AvtoVAZ by the ton.

In the early 90s, the scandalously known oligarch Boris Berezovsky also showed interest in the Tolyatti plant.

Investigators found out that Berezovsky concluded contracts between JSC “AvtoVAZ” and his founded company “LogoVAZ” for the supply of 20 thousand passenger cars. However, the bills were not paid.

The damage amounted to 58 million rubles.

Of course, all the other Tolyatti criminal groups could not compare with Berezovsky’s brainchild.

LogoVAZ is an example of a large-scale approach to thefts from AvtoVAZ, so the leader of Neverov’s organized criminal group had no choice but to wipe his face…

In 2002, Berezovsky was sentenced to 13 years in a strict regime colony.

It should be noted that police officers in Tolyatti themselves did business with the “Neverovskie” organized criminal group, establishing supplies and transportation of metal to Ukraine.

And Neverov — while they had not yet quarreled with Portnov — suggested that Portnov engage in supplies and transportation to Ukraine. People came from Kyiv, whom they introduced to local Ministry of Internal Affairs employees.

But when Portnov and Neverov quarreled, surveillance of Neverov was organized already in Kyiv, with the help of Ukrainian special services.

Portnov, together with Petrovsky, developed a plan to kill Neverov in Ukraine. But so far it has not worked…

And, apparently, they left good traces in Kyiv, so it is clear that Mr. Portnov chose his hiding place far from Ukraine. Perhaps Vitaly Portnov also changed his surname, like his former friend Neverov?

And today criminals more and more often resort to plastic surgery as well as changing the papillary patterns on their fingers, then good luck finding them!