The Office of the Investigative Committee for St. Petersburg reported on the completion of the investigation into the murder of singer Igor Talkov. The press service of the department reports this.
Investigators charged in absentia with attempted murder and murder in a generally dangerous manner (Article 15, paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 102 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR and paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 102 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR) Valery Shlyafman — concert the singer's director.
According to investigators, in October 1991, behind the scenes of the Yubileiny sports palace in St. Petersburg, Shlyafman wanted to shoot singer Aziza’s bodyguard Igor Malakhov with a revolver, but he hit Talkov and “caused [the singer] a mortal wound.”
“In 1992, Valery Shlyafman, who fled to Israel, was charged in absentia by investigative authorities as accused of committing murder by negligence. However, after the resumption of the criminal investigation in 2021, investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee, based on the evidence collected, came to the conclusion that Shlyafman was involved in committing intentional crimes,” the Investigative Committee reports.
Investigators add that they questioned more than 150 witnesses — artists, employees of Yubileiny, police officers guarding the sports palace that day, as well as experts involved in the case of Talkov’s murder in 1991-1992.
Igor Talkov is one of the most popular performers of the late USSR. In 1993, the case of the singer’s murder was suspended due to the fact that Shlyafman left for Israel. In November 2018, the Investigative Committee resumed the investigation into the musician’s murder, recognizing his widow as the victim in the case. Conservative publicists accuse Valery Shlyafman of the planned murder of Igor Talkov.