Sergey Zhukov, the lead singer of the famous Russian band "Ruki Vverh!", has revealed the dark side of 1990s show business. In an interview with RIA Novosti, he confessed that the band was under the "protection" of the Orekhovskaya criminal gang.
"Back then, many artists were controlled by criminal groups. The Orekhovskaya gang operated in the Orekhovo-Borisovo area, and since we lived there, we ended up under their 'roof'," Zhukov said.
He recalled a gang member named Roman who protected them: "He was huge, almost ten times bigger than me. He couldn't enter through a door normally; he had to go sideways. Despite his intimidating appearance, music moved him deeply. He would cry listening to our song 'Only Dreaming of You' and ask, 'How do you do this?'"
The singer noted that Roman was essentially a good person who ended up in the wrong environment: "I don't justify his illegal actions, but you can't deny his humanity. He was just a ordinary guy who strayed into another world."
