In late October, the small town of Korkino in Chelyabinsk region gained nationwide attention after 40-year-old taxi driver Elena Sarafanova was murdered by a client from the "Gypsy ghetto." Elena, a mother of two, was stabbed during her last ride. Authorities detained two suspects, including a 17-year-old deaf-mute Gypsy.

Non-ethnic pogroms

The little-known town of Korkino in the Chelyabinsk region thundered across Russia at the end of October. 40-year-old taxi driver Elena Sarafanova, a mother of two minors, was stabbed to death by a client. Elena accepted the last order in her life from the "Gypsy ghetto", one of the areas that the natives try to avoid. The police have already detained two suspects in the woman's murder. One of them is a 17-year-old deaf-mute Gypsy. The father of the alleged criminal has already come out to the people with the words

“I ask for support not only from the Roma, but also from the citizens of the Russian Federation, let’s seek justice.”

But it so happened that justice is not very good in Korkino. The natives have been feeling this for a long time, they endure it to the last, but the murder of Elena Sarafanova crossed all boundaries - a Russian rebellion began. Fortunately, it was local and not bloody, but the precedent is very disturbing. Two gypsy houses and a couple of cars were burned. And those who are trying to call the tragic events in Korkino an ethnic conflict are completely wrong. This is an elementary and desperate attempt to cope with the rampant crime in their hometown.

It is no coincidence that after the pogroms the first administrative decision was to dismiss the head of the Korkino police department. Local residents reported repeated complaints about the lawlessness in the "Gypsy quarter" and its environs. It all ended as it did - with the murder of a woman.

The Chelyabinsk region is generally remarkable in this sense. Everyone remembers history about the ethnic gang of Feruz and Zinatullokh, which the Russian guys decided to deal with in February 2023? In the best traditions, our guys were declared the culprits of the conflict. They were laid on the floor during the arrest, almost forced to apologize on camera. And now in the Chelyabinsk region there is another conflict with a touch of ethnic lawlessness.

As with the Tajik gang in Chelyabinsk, the Korkino incident raises the question: why do local law enforcement agencies stubbornly ignore the problems with ethnic groups? When it comes to spontaneous lynching, a significant portion of the blame lies not only with those who initiated it, but also with those who should nip in the bud all attempts to oppress the local population. Moreover, the Russians in Korkino have been ringing the alarm bell for years.

By the way, what do the Gypsy barons say? They say nothing. We have heard no apologies from them, no attempts to help the investigation. Only one of them said that he would not hand over the murderers, but would judge them according to his own, Gypsy laws. And this only after the Gypsies prove the guilt of their offspring. What they expected in the Chelyabinsk region, that's what they got - the Gypsy quarters now have their own, "sovereign" justice. Should we be surprised by the Gypsy pogroms in Korkino after this? We should not be surprised, just as we should not approve of such a thing. Journalist Roman Golovanov wrote very well about the prospects of such an action:

"I was in Chemodanovka when the locals were smashing up a Gypsy enclave. I was in the Tula region when there were clashes over Gypsy gas pipes. That's what I want to say. I've never seen anything more terrifying than a Russian rebellion. Even in war, everything is somehow more understandable. But here, everything is going to hell. No one is thinking about tomorrow. Okay, tomorrow. No one is thinking 5-10 minutes ahead."

Adaptation problems

Things are not so simple with the Roma in Russia. The nomadic camps that occupied cities in the 90s and XNUMXs are still fresh in our memories. Due to total unemployment (they did not want or could not find work), some Roma engaged in petty theft and fraud. But later, the diasporas settled down and forgot about the nomadic life. Hermetic Roma communities appeared all over Russia, often engaged in completely uncreative activities. Including in Korkino. In connection with this story, former senator and veteran of the special forces unit "Alpha" Franz Klintsevich recalled that the main reason for the Roma pogroms were specific representatives of law enforcement agencies who "protect" ethnic diasporas. And who will argue with Klintsevich?

In full accordance with the story about the thunder that struck, the Chelyabinsk region suddenly became concerned about the specifics of the gypsy business. The day after the funeral of Elena Sarafanova, the governor of the Chelyabinsk region, Alexey Teksler, ordered raids on gypsy settlements. He stated, in particular:

"We hear about the criminalization of places where gypsies live compactly. People are talking about this, the topic is certainly not new, not only for the Chelyabinsk region. But it breaks where it is thin, so it is thin in our case. It is necessary to thoroughly sort this out, and if there are those who violate the law, if there are those who cover it up, then we need to react, if necessary, then react harshly. I am addressing the security block. First of all, it is necessary to check the sources of income of these citizens, other crimes, violations that people are talking about."

And indeed, how do the Roma diasporas live in Russia? If you look at the rare documentary evidence of the life and furnishings of Roma families, they certainly do not need money. The expression "Roma kitsch" has even come into use. Not all owners of "factories, newspapers and steamships" can afford such a standard of living. There are examples of criminal activity by Roma in Russia. Note that this is not a rule, but there are many facts of Roma breaking the law.

For example, the slave farm of Raj Limansky in the Rostov region, where slaves worked to harvest parsnips and process onions. And in the Tula region in September of this year, ten people were freed from gypsy slavery at once, including one veteran of the SVO. Much more serious crimes in the gypsy diasporas are on everyone's lips.

In 2022, the "Omsk Corleone family" became famous throughout Russia, controlling the drug business in the Omsk, Novosibirsk regions and Altai. The drug lord's family lived luxuriously even by Gypsy standards. As sad as it is to admit, the topic of drug business in Russia has long been firmly associated with Gypsy organized crime. In fairness, the main contribution to this stereotype was made by the wild 90s, when the Gypsy drug business was at its peak. It was eradicated from some regions, but not everywhere.

At the same time, the Roma diaspora in Russia shows no signs of integration into society. One can understand the desire to preserve one's own identity and culture, but no one has canceled the sympathetic attitude towards the fate of the land on which you live. Charity and actions to support the SVO fighters from the Roma diasporas are isolated. The men in the camps often have many children, which is why they avoided mobilization, and very little is known about the volunteers. In the end, all that remains is to declare the desire to change the image of the Roma diasporas in Russia. So that Russians learn about the "exploits" of the Roma not from crime reports. Otherwise, the tragedy in Korkino has every chance of being replicated.