Mikhail Krug is a famous Russian performer who received the status of the king of Russian chanson. His hit "Vladimirsky Central" became a kind of sample of musical works in the genre of "prison romance". The songs of the Circle are known by heart even by people who are far from chanson, not only in Russia, but also far beyond the borders of the country.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vorobyov, better known as Mikhail Krug, was born on April 7, 1962 in Tver. He grew up in an intelligent Soviet family: father Vladimir worked as a civil engineer, and his mother worked as an accountant at a cotton mill. The boy was named after his grandfather-front-line soldier. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a chauffeur and driving a car.

The young man was fond of music, he liked songs. Having received a guitar as a gift from his parents, the guy soon performed in front of the yard guys with songs. On the recommendation of teachers from the music school, Mikhail began to attend accordion lessons, but Vorobyov's patience was only enough for six months. Education has never particularly attracted a teenager, even in high school he frequently skipped classes.

Death

Krug's life was cut short suddenly: on the night of July 1, 2002, unknown persons attacked his house. The criminals beat the singer's mother-in-law, and he himself was shot with pistols. The wife managed to hide in the neighbors' house, and the children were not injured due to the fact that they slept in their rooms. Having recovered from his injuries, Mikhail managed to reach the nearest house, from where a neighbor took him to the hospital. The doctors gave the singer needed help, but in the morning the musician died from his injuries.

The bard's death came as a big surprise to everyone. Relatives, colleagues, fans mourned. On the day of the funeral, a farewell to the author took place in the hall of the Tver Drama Theater. The funeral procession, which went to the Dmitrov-Cherkasskoye cemetery, where the musician's grave is today, was several kilometers long.

Mikhail Krug is a great chansonnier who will forever remain in the memory of numerous fans. Who took his life and why? We will consider all versions of the murder of Mikhail Krug in the article.

The death of Mikhail Krug and the still unsolved crime

Even today, the question of who is the killer of Mikhail Krug haunts fans of his work. Forty days after the death of the singer, a concert was organized in his memory, where great amount famous performers. The event was held in the city of Tver at the stadium "Khimki". In one of the songs even then you could hear the version of the murder. It said that the death of the chansonnier came from the usual gopstop robbery. It is this version that is supported by many people, although there are those who are sure that it was a contract killing.

In what year was the murder of the great chansonnier committed?

In what year was Mikhail Krug killed? The date of his death is 07/01/2002. According to the stories of Irina, Mikhail's wife, that day they returned home with the whole family late in the evening, and everyone began to go about their own business. Somewhere around 12 at night, Irina heard the muffled screams of her mother. It turned out that the criminal in the black mask hit the woman hard on the head with a gun and tried to strangle her. When one of the criminals noticed Irina, he immediately ran after her up the stairs. Hearing the screams of his wife, the head of the family immediately ran to help. A shot, a wound, Mikhail Krug falls unconscious to the floor.

Meanwhile, Irina managed to run out of the house and rushed to the neighbors for help. What happened at that time between the singer and unknown people in black masks will now never be known. Most likely, according to the investigators, Mikhail woke up and again joined them, unfortunately, in an unequal battle, as a result of which he received another wound. There was a huge amount of blood on the floor, traces of the shoes of criminals and bare feet of a chansonnier. After the villains fled the scene of the crime, Krug hurried to the neighbors, from whom he was taken by ambulance to the department of the city hospital. But, unfortunately, despite the fact that the doctors tried with all their might to fight for the life of Mikhail Krug, closer to the morning he left this world.

Who killed Mikhail Krug?

After the incident, the investigating authorities began to seriously investigate the crime. They considered all possible options for this event. The circle of suspects was huge. It included drug addicts, scumbags, competitors in show business, in fact, all of his acquaintances, current and past friends.

Who killed Mikhail Krug? In fact, even his close relatives were among the suspects. As the investigation suggested, Mikhail could have had a big quarrel with them shortly before his death. For example, the artist's wife even passed a lie detector. Even today, there are a huge number of versions of the death of the great chansonnier. Why was Mikhail Krug killed? The most popular versions will be described here.

The first version is a murder by ordinary scumbags

Why was Mikhail Krug killed? It's no secret that his work was mainly addressed to robbers and thieves. Also, many people know that he was known in these circles and had good connections with the criminal world. It all started from the moment the chansonnier began to engage in creativity. At first, he sang at virtually all birthdays of Tver and not only authorities. Therefore, no one could even think that this person might have problems with criminal gangs.

That is why a version immediately arose that the murderers-robbers turned out to be ordinary scumbags - non-professionals who did not even know whose house they had made their way into. But this version also has the so-called weak spots. Mikhail was shot with a TT pistol, which is simply impossible to acquire. In addition, there is reason to believe that the robbery was planned. There was supposed to be fireworks on the embankment that day, and around this time, when the criminals entered the house, it started. Most likely, the robbers were sure that the singer and his family would not be at home at that time.

The second version of the murder of Mikhail - order

Initially, it was this version that became incredible not only for professionals, but even for newcomers to the criminal life. It is very difficult to imagine a killer who was running away from his ordered victim. Many neighbors say that shots were heard even when the singer Mikhail Krug tried to catch up with the robbers. Another rule of professional killers is not to leave your order alive. And Mikhail was able to be taken to the hospital, where he was hardly, but still able to answer the doctor's questions.

It was also very strange that the killers entered the house. At that time, there was a wave of contract killings throughout the city, but they all followed the same scenario - a few shots and from afar. Most of all, of course, it did not resemble a contract killing, but a desire to rob the chansonnier's cottage.

Mysterious group or the third version of the murder of M. Krug

Why was Mikhail Krug killed? Not so long ago, not far from the place where the chansonnier once lived, an attack was made on the inhabitants of one of the cottages. Unknown people, just as then, penetrated into the living quarters. They tied up everyone who was in the house, took out all the most valuable things from there, and disappeared without a trace. According to the victims themselves, they were people in masks who had a gun with them. Judging by how many were stolen, a car was waiting for the robbers somewhere nearby. The owner convinces that one of the kidnappers had a strongly pronounced Caucasian accent.

After some time, according to the same plan, an attack was made on the office of one company in the very center of the city. These two crimes were never solved by the police. The handwriting of the criminals is very reminiscent of the actions of people who broke into the house of a famous chansonnier that evening. The wicked similarly entered the house and tried to neutralize the singer's mother-in-law. And if Mikhail had not rushed to the criminals, forgetting about caution and self-preservation, then, most likely, it all ended in a robbery, not a murder.

Version of the death of Mikhail Krug, provided by Hanna Grinevich

Why was Mikhail Krug killed? According to the woman, the death of the singer could be beneficial to his wife Ira. According to her, in no interview, Irina did not mention how much she loved her husband, but with great pleasure she talked about the expensive presents made to her by Mikhail. Also, Irina's phrase seemed meaningful to her: "After all, he is the Circle." It turns out that a woman did not perceive her husband simply as ordinary person. Also, in one of the interviews, she said that her husband was always against her performing and singing. As soon as he was gone, the woman immediately had access to the stage. In addition, she also had access to his name. Considerable fame and memory of this chansonnier helped her immediately become no less famous. In addition to all this, Irina still has all the archives of the Circle, which she can use at any time.

It also turned out to be strange that the wife and her mother were the first on the way of the killers, but for some reason they shot exclusively at Mikhail. The head of the family called the ambulance himself, not her. And many other facts indicate that the death of her husband was beneficial to his wife Irina.

Another version is the revenge of thieves in law

One of the newspapers of the city of Tver expressed its version of the murder of Mikhail, which said that the crime could still be committed by thieves in law, with whom he, in turn, managed to quarrel on the basis of the fact that he did not want to actively deduct money in the thieves' common fund. As it was written in the newspaper, many thieves were aware that the exclusive rights to a new disc with the great artist's chanson were estimated at a pretty decent amount - $ 300,000, but the performer did not agree with the price of Moscow firms and asked for about $ 500,000 for it.

Also, allegedly, the thieves also knew that this disc was in Krug's house, and it was he who they were going to steal, which did not work out, and they had to shoot at the singer. Naturally, until the crime is solved, even such a version takes place, although it is hardly worth taking much into account, since there are many nuances that completely refute it.

Grave of Mikhail Krug

After the death of the great chansonnier, it was decided to provide his family with financial assistance his colleagues, the city administration and even people from the criminal world.

In what year Mikhail Krug was killed is known to all his fans. 07/03/2002 the coffin of the chansonnier was delivered to the theater of his hometown Tver. It was there that a civil memorial service was held, which was attended by a huge number of people. After that, Mikhail was taken to the funeral service in the Resurrection Cathedral.

The chansonnier was buried in a cemetery near Tver - in Dmitrovo-Cherkassy. On the grave of Mikhail Krug there is a huge monument of black marble, where, next to the photograph of the great chansonnier, his name is written in large letters.

And in our time is running discussion of the murder of Mikhail Krug, this question still haunts his fans. Forty days from death famous singer, the recognized king of Russian chanson, were marked by a concert program dedicated to his memory. The event was held at the Khimik stadium in the city of Tver. A lot of popular artists, tribunes packed to capacity with greedy spectators - all testified that the singer was loved and unforgettable.

One of the songs told that the death of a great singer was the result of a robbery, gopstop. Even at the very beginning, people did not leave the confidence that those who could kill Mikhail Krug were simple robbers, whose plan was simply destroyed by the appearance and attempt to fight Mikhail with them.

Although some remained of the opinion that the murder was contract, it was organized by competitors and envious people. This version was rejected almost immediately for many contradictions.

In what year was Mikhail Krug killed

The great Chansonnier is gone July 1, 2002 . Late in the evening, the Krug family returned home and everyone went about their business. It was about twelve at night when Irina looked out into the corridor from the nursery, hearing the muffled cries of her mother. Two robbers in black masks hit old woman on the head with a heavy gun and tried to strangle her. One of them, noticing Irina, ran after her up the stairs. Hearing her screams, the head of the family hurried to help, as a result of which he was wounded by a shot and fell to the floor unconscious.

Irina, meanwhile, ran to the neighbors, and no one will ever know what happened between the singer and the criminals. Investigators in a pool of blood on the floor noticed a lot of footprints of the villains and Mikhail's bare feet. Most likely, waking up, he entered into an unequal battle with them, as a result of which he was once again wounded. When the attackers fled, Krug hurried to the neighbors and was urgently taken away by an ambulance called to the department of the city hospital. However, despite the numerous efforts of doctors, the great talent left this world by morning.

Murder committed by scumbags?

The work of Mikhail Krug was devoted to crime. The main characters of his works were ordinary criminals (thieves, robbers) and prostitutes.

However one version of the murder says that it was the robbers who took the life of the Circle. Perhaps they were non-professionals who decided to profit from someone else's good and did not expect to find the owners of the house. Or maybe the robbery was pre-planned by experienced villains.

  1. Firstly, the TT pistol, which, moreover, according to the conclusions of the examination, was without a silencer, is the most serious professional weapon, and it is very difficult to get it.
  2. Secondly, the time of the attack was chosen perfectly: around 24:00 the whole city gathered on the square in anticipation of the festive fireworks.
  3. Thirdly, from the words of the neighbors, shortly before the fatal incident, two cars drove up to the cottage, which disappeared through a short time after the shots fired.

Such organization can serve proof of the professionalism of the killers. Although the fact is not overlooked that ordinary scumbags could afford to hire good cars and take a gun as collateral, hoping to pay off part of the stolen amount.

Was a mysterious group involved in the murder?

Such a version arose as a result of similar attacks observed before and after the tragic day of the death of the king of chanson according to the standard scenario. A few days before the death of the singer, a major robbery was committed in a cottage near the place of residence of Mikhail's family. A few days later it happened again, only now in the firm's downtown office.

The victims, whom the villains tightly tied, claim that the abductors were in black masks, one of them had a Caucasian accent, and they also had a gun.

Both scenarios are similar to what happened in the singer's house, the only difference is the murder. Perhaps this would not have happened if not for unsuccessful attempt connect Mikhail's mother-in-law and the appearance of his own person, which confused all their intentions. Attempts by the police to solve these crimes were unsuccessful.

Was the murder organized by close people?

There are many supporters of the version that the death of the Circle was of great benefit to none other than his wife Irina . Here is the collected evidence for this version:

  • In no interview after the death of her husband, Irina did not mention her love for him, but she was sprayed about the gifts given to her by the Circle. Her ambiguous phrase "After all, he is the Circle ..." spoke a lot, to which she testified that she was interested in him not as a person, but as a star of the Circle.
  • Irina told reporters that her husband did not allow her to sing on stage, arguing that a wife should remain a wife. Thus, having got rid of him, Irina opened the door to the stage for herself. What she immediately began to use with great success: a week after the funeral, she already sang in a beautiful voice.
  • She got popular name, using her husband's pseudonym, as well as legal access to all his archives. She played a role in the split of her husband's group called "Fellow Traveler", taking away with her half of the composition, which did not take part in a concert dedicated to the memory of Mikhail.
  • The killers were only interested in Krug, and did not harm his wife and mother-in-law, who stood in their way first. Also, the wife did not bother to call an ambulance to her mortally wounded husband, he did it himself. And shortly before the murder, there was a serious quarrel between the spouses.

What did you manage to find out?

The investigation into the crime revealed that Mikhail's murder is not an accident at all. Thanks to the work of investigators, it turned out that the villains got into the house in the morning, through the windows, which were open. During the day, Krug's house was empty - a perfect opportunity to take possession of the safe and escape from the scene of the crime.

However, their actions obeyed a completely different logic: they sat under the very roof until evening, tormented by heat and thirst.

Their goal was to negotiate with the singer every month to receive a large share of his income. In order for their victim to agree as quickly as possible, pressure was organized on people close to him - they tried to scare the mother-in-law and wife.

How it all turned out in such a way that the man was mortally wounded, and what was the result of this, is not known to anyone. But law enforcement officers, when asked about the murder of the great chansonnier, Mikhail Krug, answer that notorious criminals belonging to the group acted as killers "Tver Wolves" . These non-humans, who have no shame, conscience and respect for anyone, were not loved even in the thieves' world.

Video about the details of the case

This year marks two anniversaries of the "singer of criminal romance" chansonnier Michael Krug(aka Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov). 55 years for his birth and 15 years for his death.

Krug is one of the most successful and mythologized artists of our time. Every year, the number of legends surrounding his life and his death only grows, closing his real, talented and extraordinary personality from us.

Myth one. Krug knew prison life well.

The circulation of Krug's albums reached millions. His songs are dedicated to prison-camp romance, describe the complex state of mind and difficult life situation"inmates".

By the way. The genre "Russian chanson" aka "thieves' song" is considered in Russia even more popular than pop music. Of the currently living successful artists, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Alexander Novikov, Vika Tsyganova, Irina Krug work in it ( last wife Michael).

At the same time, neither the chansonnier himself, nor his family members or friends were sitting. Krug diligently and extremely accurately translated his songs into "fenya" with the help of a dictionary of prison vocabulary, published in 1924 for the NKVD. The singer accidentally bought a book at a flea market and did not part with it. Moreover, the bulk of chansonnier listeners also did not have a prison past and made up their ideas about this part of life according to the songs of the Circle. Therefore, each album of the artist was carefully accompanied by explanations for the texts.

The secret of the singer's popularity and the fact that he knew how to “get” into the audience so accurately is simple: Mikhail Krug is one of those rare cases when a person can be called a nugget and not be deceitful.

The singer had no musical education. As a child, Krug was a bully and a loser. He did not want to study general education school and gave up accordion lessons at the music school. But he himself learned to play the guitar, knew the entire repertoire Vysotsky And Rosenbaum. He started writing songs at school (of course, he dedicated them to his first love). By the army, the young man settled down, he served as an excellent student. And for the ability to sing that conquered his colleagues, he enjoyed general favor.

After the army, he was going to get married and go to college. But - by chance I saw an announcement about the competition of the author's song. He took part, took first place and decided to record his first album (for his own money, "samizdat"). The circulation sold out instantly. Then two more "samizdat" albums were recorded, which turned out to be just as successful. And then a professional career began - producers, recording studios and endless tours in Russia, Germany, the USA. Mikhail Krug also performed in prisons. But not always in front of the "inmates", more often they were employees. And he did not enter into close contact with the "contingent".

Myth two. The circle communicated very closely with criminal authorities and was even the keeper of the common fund of one of the organized crime groups

Despite the fact that in the film “Legends of the Circle” filmed several years ago, the hero is friends with thieves in law and goes to the bathhouse with them, it was reliably established by the investigating authorities that the real Mikhail Krug was not involved in the thieves' world (and in the bathhouse with his representatives did not go).

Indeed, one of the Krug's hits - the song "Vladimirsky Central" - is dedicated to the former thief in law and the "prisoner" of the famous prison Sasha Severny who gave the singer a massive ring. The truth is that the chansonnier had extensive acquaintances, including among the "authorities". Exactly the same "not simple" acquaintances have almost all the stars, regardless of the genre. In addition, Tver in the 90s was a heavily criminalized region. Therefore, not knowing the "authorities" was more difficult than knowing them.

And Mikhail Krug was an honest, decent, noble person who was really respected by everyone. There is a known case when, on tour, Krug accidentally discovered that the organizers of the tour provide rather meager meals to his lesser-known colleagues. And the singer fed the musicians at his own expense. In his own group there was the strictest "dry law", which was always in effect, even at numerous banquets and corporate parties, where the owners were desperately trying to get famous artists drunk.

Myth three. Krug's house could not just be robbed, because the singer was under the tacit protection of crime

Mikhail Krug was killed while trying to rob his house. The thieves, having climbed into the dwelling, accidentally ran into his mother-in-law. At that time, the artist married a second time, his son had just been born, and his mother-in-law helped with her grandson. The woman screamed, the owner of the house ran out and received two bullets in the chest. Died in the hospital.

Immediately after the murder, numerous versions began to appear that were based on only one thing: a popular artist who sang of criminal romance simply could not become an accidental victim of an accidental robbery.

Fans built the most fabulous versions and willingly believed in them. For example, that the murder was organized by a young wife who had just given birth to a son to the singer. Or that Krug was ordered by the "blue mafia" - the artist was known for his uncompromising position in relation to homosexual relationships. At the same time, the “trump card” argument of all these and similar versions was the fact that supposedly Mikhail Krug’s house was under the tacit tutelage of “authorities” and no one would have gotten there just like that.

Of course, everyone knew the house of Mikhail Krug. And, of course, no one would deliberately climb into it. But the fact of "guardianship" is denied by both the singer's relatives and the investigating authorities.

As the investigation established, drug addicts climbed into the Krug's house, who were not subordinate to anyone in particular. They supposedly learned from the media that the singer received 400 thousand dollars for a new album (this is not true) and therefore decided to rob the cottage. At the same time, the bandits expected that the owner would not be at home. After the murder caused a colossal response, they were frightened, and two participants directly responsible for the death of the singer were killed themselves. The rest of the raiders were identified several years later.

Myth four. "Brothers" avenged Krug

Three months after the murder of Mikhail, Tver was shocked by a new high-profile crime. A crime boss was shot with 27 bullets in front of his house Ibrahim Azizov nicknamed Arkasha. He was "looking" in Tver and directly controlled the retail drug trade. It was also known that one of the gangs controlled by Azizov "cleaned" mansions. However, the investigators quickly disproved this assumption. Even if Arkasha's people got into the Krug's house, the perpetrators would be punished, but not Azizov. From the point of view of criminal values, the value of the "top manager" Azizov was incomparably higher than the "troubadour" of the Circle. The murder of Arkasha was connected with the drug trade and his "professional" activities. But there was no revenge for Krug.

Myth five. The circle left behind millions, because of which the widow and mother quarrel

This is also not true. The main legacy of Mikhail Krug is his work. Wife Irina, with the support of her husband and producer Vika Tsyganova, first began to publish and rehash the unreleased songs of the Circle. The audience fell in love with Irina Krug, she became a sought-after singer in the chanson genre. Now the woman is releasing new albums. The mother and sister of Mikhail Krug opened a chansonnier museum in Tver, they conduct excursions to memorable places in the city. Relatives communicate well with each other and with great respect keep the memory of Mikhail Krug.

Michael Krug ( real name Vorobyov) is a Russian bard, a performer in the chanson genre and, according to fans, “the king of Russian chanson”. The author of the most popular composition in this genre is the song "Vladimirsky Central". His life was cut short by a bullet fired at him in his own house by robbers. Long years Krug's murder and his customer were unknown, but in 2019 new details appeared in the case that helped to identify the killers.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov was born in the city of Kalinin (now Tver) on April 7, 1962. His father, Vladimir Mikhailov, worked as an engineer at a carriage building plant, and his mother, Zoya Petrovna, worked at a cotton mill. Mikhail became the second child in the Vorobyov family, whose daughter Olga was already growing up.


Misha Vorobyov spent his childhood and youth in the old proletarian district of Morozovskiy Gorodok, about which he later wrote the song “My Dear City”. These were old barracks, heated with peat. They lived in poverty, but together. Little Misha was different from the dejected life of the inhabitants of the microdistrict: he constantly joked, amused adults, he was still a tomboy. Later, my father was given an apartment on Ordzhonikidze Street, but memories of childhood in the Morozov barracks remained with Mikhail for life.

At the music school, the boy learned to play the button accordion, but he completed his education. In a secondary school, Vorobyov studied poorly, and, as his relatives and friends recall, he constantly skipped classes.


The teachers bombarded the student Vorobyov with remarks: his classmates could have one, maximum two remarks, and he once accumulated as many as 47: either he didn’t say hello to the teacher, or he didn’t bring the shift. When my mother wanted to know the reason for this behavior, Misha took a pose: “I don’t greet her, because she is unfair!”

Michael always took the side of truth and justice. Although he was considered the first bully in the class, at the same time he was the most sympathetic and caring student. He was the first to go out on subbotniks, and many years after graduation from school he was the only one who visited his first teacher.

At the age of six, Mikhail first heard the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky and immediately fell in love with the work of this poet and musician. This passion helped Misha fall in love with music lessons. At the age of 11, the boy had already mastered the guitar, and when he was 14, he wrote his first poems, which he dedicated to a classmate. Once at school, Mikhail sang the song of his idol Vysotsky, after which a scandal erupted.


Having received a certificate of maturity, the future musician went to the Kalinin School and received the profession of a car mechanic there, and then was called up for an urgent army service in the Sumy region of Ukraine.


Upon returning from the army, Mikhail continued to sing songs, imitating Vysotsky. From 1986 to 1993, Vorobyov worked as a driver at various enterprises. From one of his jobs, at a dairy plant, he was fired: he lost his temper when he learned that fat milk for party officials was poured into some cans, and water was added to milk in those intended for ordinary residents of Tver. He changed the cans, but the deceit was revealed.

Then, for a short time, Mikhail was the head of the city motorcade. Office work quickly got bored with him, and he again returned to the driver's seat, where he worked until 1996. By that time, he could already earn a living exclusively by music.

creative way

In 1987, Mikhail was sent from work to receive education in polytechnic university, which he, however, soon abandoned. In the same year, he decided to take part in the author's song contest, where he performed his composition "About Afghanistan" and won first place.

The first victory gave him more confidence, and he took up songwriting seriously. The bard Sergei Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the festival, also pushed him to work. The musician appreciated Vorobyov's talent and said to the debutant: "Misha, you need to work ...". The novice bard chose the pseudonym Mikhail Krug.


Why Krug? We do not know the exact answer to this question, but we will quote the words of his mother:

He liked this figure. He told me: "If you stand in the center of the circle, then you will be equally removed from any point." And thirdly, as in fairy tales: "If there is any trouble, draw a circle around you - and you are safe."

However, there is an opinion that Mikhail Krug named himself after the hero from his favorite Soviet TV series "The Resident's Mistake".

In 1989, Krug released his first album, Tver Streets. A year later, the second album appeared under the name "Katya" and the third - without a name at all. However, none of these records was released officially - all dispersed throughout Russia in a pirated way. Later, Krug himself re-recorded almost all the compositions from the albums on his next records.

Mikhail Krug - "Zhigan-lemon"

In 1994, a new album of the artist appeared - "Zhigan-Lemon", which became a turning point in the fate of the musician. Despite the fact that the name of the disc refers to the criminal theme, not only thieves, but also lyrical compositions were recorded on it. "Zhigan-Lemon" was subsequently reissued several times, and it was this album that became Mikhail Krug's symbolic invasion of Russian musical and poetic culture.

In 1994, a film was made about the musician documentary"Bard Mikhail Krug", which was shown on the TV channel "Culture" only in 1999. For some time, Krug was simply not allowed on television - the musician's videos began to be broadcast only in 1996. The first viewers saw the video for the song "It was yesterday."

“It was yesterday” - the first clip of Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug performed abroad for the first time in 1997 - at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival, he sang with the Zhemchuzhny brothers. At that concert, Krug performed four songs, one of them - "Madame" - in a guitar version. In the same year, a new soloist Svetlana Ternova began working with Mikhail Krug.


In 1998, Russian migrants in American cities got acquainted with the work of the Russian performer, and in 2000 the musician went on a tour of Israel. Mikhail Krug very often gave charity concerts, performed for free in prisons.

It is worth noting that the artist himself has never sat in places not so remote.

Usually Krug sang songs of his own authorship, but Alexander Belolebedinsky wrote a number of compositions for him. These are “I went through Siberia”, “The process is over”, “Hello, mother”, “Sparks in the fireplace”, “Cry, violin (In every city)”, “Khaim” and “Student”. These songs were previously performed by Arkady Severny. But "Svetochka" was written by Leonid Efremov - the Circle only slightly changed the text of the original.


The most popular and beloved among fans was Mikhail's song "Vladimirsky Central", which became one of the most famous compositions of Russian chanson in general. For the first time the song sounded in the album "Madame" (1998). There is an assumption that it is dedicated to the kingpin Sasha Severny.

Mikhail Krug - "Vladimir Central" (concert at Luzhniki, 2000)

In March 1998, Mikhail Krug received the Ovation Award in the Russian Chanson nomination. And in the fall of 1999, the musician entered the "Musical Ring" together with Sergei Trofimov and defeated his colleague in a friendly duel. In the same year, the singer took second place in the Russian Chanson competition. At that time, he became one of the most popular artists in the country, although the attitude towards his work among different circles of society was ambiguous - the creative intelligentsia called the success of the Circle a symbol of the crisis of Russian culture in a difficult time for the country.

Personal life of Mikhail Krug

The first love of Mikhail Krug was called Marina. The young man spent all the pennies he earned on her. She promised to wait for him from the army, but did not keep her word. For the first time, Mikhail married after serving in the army. The wife's name was Svetlana. She was a seamstress, and they met through a mutual friend. But family life was short-lived: the wife did not like that her husband often came home drunk, and her intelligent parents did not tire of reminding her that a graduate of a vocational school was not a match for her. In 1988, Mikhail Krug divorced his wife and sued her son Dmitry - he decided to raise the child on his own.


In 2000, Krug married a second time. His chosen one was a waitress from Chelyabinsk, Irina, with whom he, a client of the restaurant, fell in love at first sight. To always be close to this beautiful woman, the musician offered her a job as a dresser, but at first the girl refused. But, having weighed all the pros and cons, Irina later accepted a job offer and for a year simply fulfilled her tasks and toured with the Circle. The musician filmed her one-room apartment in Moscow and helped financially in every possible way.


Finally, in 2001, Irina married Mikhail. She already had a daughter from another marriage, Marina, whom Krug took under his care and began to raise as his own. In 2002, the family appeared common child- Son of Alexander.


By the way, the musician was an adherent of monarchical political opinion, a conservative and a homophobe, supported the Domostroevsky way of life in the family and was disgusted with feminism. Russian stage he considered "the dominance of persons of non-traditional sexual orientation". Krug was a member of the LDPR and one of the assistants to its leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.


Death

On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, in the Tver village of Mamulino, the artist's house was attacked. At that moment, in addition to the singer, his wife, mother-in-law and children were in the house. Two unknown people entered the third floor of the house, attacked the artist's mother-in-law and began to inflict bodily harm on her. Krug himself and his wife Irina came running to the screams of the woman. Then the criminals opened fire on them. Irina was able to escape, and Mikhail, who covered her from bullets, received two severe wounds and lost consciousness. In the confusion, the attackers managed to escape, finally shooting the dog.


The circle came to its senses and was able to get to the neighbor Vadim Rusakov, where Irina fled. The man took the musician to Tverskaya city ​​hospital. At this time, the police were already working at the scene, and the doctors were helping the musician's mother-in-law. Fortunately, the children were not hurt.

A farewell memorial service was held on July 3. IN last way the musician was seen off by the whole world. Not only colleagues, but also representatives of the authorities came to say goodbye. The funeral ceremony stretched for several kilometers. Mikhail Krug was buried at the Dmitrovo-Cherkassky cemetery.


Consequences and memory

After the death of her husband, Irina began performing under the pseudonym Irina Krug. Most of her repertoire is songs dedicated to the memory of her late husband.

Irina Krug - To you, my last love.

Mikhail's eldest son, Dmitry Vorobyov, was barely 14 when the bard was killed. Relatives were worried that the loss of his father would affect the teenager in a negative way and decided to transfer him to cadet corps. Of course, at first the boy did not understand - what was the punishment for a man who had just lost his father? But he quickly got involved and even fell in love with the cadet life. Subsequently, he graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and became a policeman.


Dmitry looks like his father in appearance, but not in character: he is very introverted person, does not play the guitar, does not sing, avoids communication with the press. However, relatives say that in the circle of loved ones he changes: he jokes, smiles, and is always ready to help.

The youngest son of Mikhail Krug, Alexander, does not remember his father, like that ill-fated night. According to the press, the boy officially took the surname Krug, as his mother Irina wanted. Unlike his brother, Sasha loves attention: he leads Instagram, which is subscribed to by several thousand people, sometimes participates in talk shows. Outwardly, he obviously went to his mother.


In 2007, a bronze monument was erected to Mikhail Krug on Radishchev Boulevard in Tver. Russian bard and chansonnier sits on a bench and leans his hands on a guitar, next to him - free place where everyone can sit down and take a picture. Funds for the installation of the monument were collected by the Mikhail Krug Foundation, which headed it elder sister, Olga Medvedeva.


Krug murder investigation

Most different versions murders appeared one after another. Producer Vadim Tsyganov suggested that it was a banal robbery attempt. On the eve of the murder, the musician, together with Vika Tsyganova, Vadim's wife, recorded the disc "Vladimirsky Central-2" and was supposed to receive a large fee. According to another version, the artist became the victim of a planned and, possibly, even contract killing.

The murder case of the musician moved from dead center only in 2008: in Tver, the Tver Wolves gang was arrested, possibly related to the murder of Krug. In one of its participants - Alexander Ageev - the widow of the musician Irina identified the killer of her husband. However, his involvement could not be proven. Ageev received a life sentence, but for other crimes. The case was suspended out of desperation.

Mikhail Krug: murder solved?

2019 brought new leads. An investigative experiment was conducted in the Krug's house. Two members of the Tver Wolves gang, Dmitry Veselov and the same Ageev, testified. It turned out that one of the local crime bosses, nicknamed Scrap, gave them the order to rob Mikhail Krug. He believed that the modest house of the chansonnier was stuffed with antiques and jewelry.


The bandits thought that there was no one at home, but in the midst of the search for valuables, Mikhail's family returned home. The criminals hid top floor and were taken by surprise by Mikhail's mother-in-law. The men hit her with the butt of a pistol and tried to escape, but on the way out they ran into Krug. Fleeing, Veselov shot the musician twice. The wound proved fatal.


Veselov is no longer alive. A year later, he was shot by another native of the Tver Wolves, an admirer of the work of Mikhail Krug Alexei Osinov. Now he is serving a life sentence. Since Ageev is already serving a life sentence, and also because of the statute of limitations for the attempted theft (his offense was included in this article), his punishment has not changed. The criminal case has been closed. Mikhail's mother never found out the names of her son's killers - she died of a heart attack in January 2018. Irina Krug thanked the staff of the Investigative Committee for solving the case.