Petrovich: From Uralmash OCG to Funeral Business King in Yekaterinburg

Businessman Anatoly Glukhov, known in criminal circles by the nickname Petrovich, can rightly be called the king of the funeral business in Yekaterinburg. A veteran of the famous Uralmash OCG (organized crime group), he and his son are the owners and co-owners of several enterprises with turnovers in the hundreds of millions of rubles. Most of them provide funeral services.

The entrepreneur tries to avoid publicity but still finds himself in predicaments from time to time. In the latest installment of our project “Who Owns Yekaterinburg,” we tell the story of the Glukhov empire.

A Dark Past and Business

In the early 2000s, Glukhov Sr. was involved in a criminal case alongside members of the most combat-ready wing of the Uralmash OCG—the so-called «special forces» headed by the famous hitman Sergei Kurdyumov. They were accused of shelling the Organized Crime Control Department building with a grenade launcher, attempting to assassinate then-Governor Eduard Rossel, and numerous murders. However, the court acquitted Glukhov at the time.

Within the Uralmash OCG, Anatoly Glukhov was responsible for the funeral business; he later became a legal businessman but continued to work in the «funeral» industry.

Today, Glukhov and his son jointly own several companies involved in the funeral and other businesses. The largest firm, LLC «Kronos,» ranked first in revenue in this sector in Sverdlovsk Region.

LLC «Kronos» revenue for 2024 amounted to 199.9 million rubles (approximately $2.2 million at current rates), which is 26% more than the previous year, with a net profit of 41 million rubles (up 2%). The company«s office is located in Syssert. About 50 people are officially employed there.

Funeral services are also provided by LLC «Apelsin-S» and LLC «Sluzhba Pokhoron» (Funeral Service). Several other Glukhov-owned firms (LLC «Akropol», LLC «Omega-K», LLC «Rif») earn money from renting and managing leased real estate.

The total revenue for 2024 was 278 million rubles (net profit—67.5 million rubles, approximately $3 million at current rates). About a hundred people officially work for the Glukhova. Among them have been individuals with criminal backgrounds.

For example, the director of LLC «Apelsin-S» for a long time was the crime boss Yuri Krestyanikov, known as Yura Krest. In 2001, he was convicted of murder and was released on parole several years later. In 2017, he was involved in a scandal involving the beating of competitors in the funeral business.

Detention with Riot Police

In March 2022, police with special forces stormed Anatoly Glukhov«s cottage in the elite »Palmix« village. The funeral king was suspected of brutally beating a man over a parking spot.

It all happened on March 21 around 1 p.m. near Glukhov«s office at 8 Marta St., 8d. A man in a Lada had dropped off his wife and was waiting for her. Anatoly Glukhov and his bodyguard decided he had taken their spot. The man»s skull was fractured, and a criminal case was initiated for infliction of grievous bodily harm (Art. 111 of the Russian Criminal Code).

Glukhov and his bodyguard were detained, but later Petrovich was released—he once again escaped unscathed. A younger bodyguard took all the blame. The victim did not object.

“Glukhov«s guilt is not confirmed. The bodyguard admits he beat the victim alone. A petition for his arrest is planned to be submitted to the court soon,” commented the press group of the Yekaterinburg City Police Department.

Conflict with Gia Sverdlovsky

A few years ago, Georgy Akoev (known as the «thief-in-law» Gia Sverdlovsky) quarreled with Anatoly Glukhov«s son at a disco. The young man insulted the crime boss, and the latter did not tolerate it.

After his release in 2017, Gia Sverdlovsky did not publicize his status but was still considered an authority figure and mediated conflicts. He had long-standing friction with the «Uralmash» crew. Historically, they disliked him due to his ties to Ded Hasan and the death of Alexander Khabarov.

“Word led to word, Gia promised that Tolik«s son would apologize, and he promised to have him imprisoned. In the end, the parties met at the »Konkista« restaurant with their security details and agreed they had no claims,” a source familiar with the matter told E1.RU.

Crematorium Scandal and the Glukhovs« Victory

In 2022, the company «Apelsin-S,» owned by Anatoly and Vyacheslav Glukhov, began building a private crematorium on the exit from Khimmash. At first, this was denied, but later, furnaces for burning bodies were installed in the complex at Dimitrova St., 72. They were brought from China, and the supplier was a Crimean company.

LLC «Apelsin-S» purchased this land on December 1, 2021, from the Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of State Property Management. At that time, the documents stated that several structures were planned for the site: a funeral service salon, an engraving workshop, a warehouse, a garage for equipment, a substation, and a waste area. No crematorium was planned.

This news did not please residents of nearby houses. By law, the distance from such a facility to residential buildings must be at least one kilometer. However, in reality, houses are located just a few hundred meters from the funeral home.

Residents tried to resolve the issue with the mourning facility on their own, wrote to the prosecutor«s office, and made inquiries to the chairwoman of the regional Legislative Assembly, Lyudmila Babushkina, and the regional ombudsman, Tatyana Merzlyakova. A city council deputy got involved.

The Yekaterinburg mayor«s office reported that it had not issued a permit for the crematorium construction. The chief sanitary doctor of Sverdlovsk Region also opposed the crematorium on Khimmash. The prosecutor»s office response stated that according to the federal law «On Burial and Funeral Affairs,» crematoria cannot be privately owned.

Under federal law, crematoria can only be state or municipal and must be located on land designated for burial. Cemetery or crematorium land cannot be privately owned. However, Article 24, Paragraph 1 of the «On Burial» law states: «Crematoria may be under the jurisdiction of local self-government bodies,» which does not exclude other forms of ownership. Russia has examples of private crematoria. The law«s vague wording leads to legal disputes over the legality of their placement.

Residents went to court, and the hearings were heated. Representatives of «Apelsin-S» tried to convince the crowd that burning corpses near their homes was absolutely safe, thanks to their high-quality equipment. Protesters spoke about environmental harm. They were supported by city council deputy Viktor Somikov. Over 100 signatures from local residents were brought to court. As a result, the first instance and the appeal court in 2023 sided with the residents, prohibiting the use of the constructed building as a crematorium.

But the joy was short-lived. Already in 2024, Yekaterinburg city council deputies effectively legalized private crematoria. To do this, they introduced the concept of a «cremation block,» where the remains of the deceased can be cremated and the ashes stored until handed over to the customer. The only difference from a traditional crematorium is that farewell ceremonies cannot be held in a cremation block, and columbaria cannot be housed there.

“Cremation blocks located within Yekaterinburg may be privately, state, or municipally owned,” the document states. It also emphasizes that cremation services are provided by organizations of any form of ownership and individual entrepreneurs.

At the meeting, a prosecutor«s office representative and deputy Viktor Somikov spoke against the new rules.

“This is a modification of the term to get the bill passed. Cremation blocks will fall into private hands. We have one standing unused; I think this is being done for it, most likely (likely referring to the one at Dimitrova St., 72. — Ed.). I propose removing the word «private» because, judging by the statements of the Supreme Court, everything related to funeral affairs should be on state or municipal land,” stated the prosecutor«s office representative.

However, the deputies voted in favor of the new rules by a majority.

Dangerous Ties

The deputies« decision once again fueled rumors about Uralmash veterans» control over the Yekaterinburg city council and the region«s funeral business. However, it is reliably known only that deputy Alexei Vikharov, head of the United Russia faction overseeing municipal services and land use, is married to Yana Vikharova, the daughter of one of the founders of the Uralmash OCG, Grigory Tsyganov.

This is not the only interesting connection. For instance, father and son Glukhov were among the founders of the funeral company «Grany» (third place in Sverdlovsk Region by revenue among funeral services). Co-owners with them were Natalya Khazova, the wife of Dmitry Khazov—another influential figure among funeral directors.

Khazova«s daughter, Ksenia Ruban, along with the Glukhovs, was previously listed among the founders of the funeral firm LLC »Kombinat SpetsobSluzhivaniya« (Specialized Services Combine, now called LLC »Sluzhba Pokhoron« (Funeral Service)). Ksenia has since withdrawn from the list of participants.

Currently, Dmitry Khazov is the director of the «Association of Funeral Organizations of the Urals.» Several years ago, he held the position of deputy director of the state enterprise Yekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise «Kombinat SpetSializirovannogo ObSluzhivaniya» and, according to sources, could influence access to cemeteries and burial services.

Judging by online maps, the funeral complex «Crematorium» is now located at Dimitrova St., 72.

We were unable to reach Anatoly Glukhov for comment by the time of publication, but we are ready to add his position if he contacts the editorial office by any convenient means.

Read about how much Yekaterinburg«s funeral firms, including Glukhov»s companies, earn. We have reported on what the children of 1990s crime bosses do.

We also published an article about the tricks of fraudulent funeral directors. They hardly change over time.