Investigation completed in the murder case of Viktor Ternyak, Ural oligarch, with Sergey Gorshunov as the accused

Sergey Gorshunov, a dollar millionaire formerly linked to the Tsentr organized crime group, is accused of the 1992 murder of Viktor Ternyak, the first Ural oligarch and president of the Eurasian Company, as well as the attempted murder of his bodyguard and driver. The case, which remained unsolved for 33 years, is now heading to court.

The prosecutor’s office alleges that the murder was motivated by Ternyak’s intention to conduct business with a rival organized crime group. Gorshunov, nicknamed “Son” within the gang, reportedly volunteered to carry out the assassination to elevate his standing.

On September 8, 1992, Gorshunov and another gang member ambushed Ternyak’s Volvo as it left his residence. Gorshunov allegedly approached the car and fired multiple shots at Ternyak, fatally wounding him. He also fired at the driver and bodyguard, inflicting injuries of varying severity.

According to the Sverdlovsk Investigative Committee, Gorshunov fled the scene after the shooting. Decades later, Ternyak’s surviving bodyguard provided testimony against Gorshunov, having been previously afraid to speak out due to the influence of organized crime.

Gorshunov was detained on April 25, 2025, at a cottage on Rublevka after returning from the United Arab Emirates. He is also accused of organizing the kidnapping and murder of Yuri Chupriyanov, a member of the “Tsentrovye” group, in 2013, stemming from a financial dispute over the Golden Apple business.

In June, Gorshunov was released from pre-trial detention and is currently at large. In the 2000s, he was sought in connection with property theft from Sverdlovsk District Computing Center OJSC and Tula-Spirit LLC. He later moved to the UAE and was eventually removed from the wanted list.

Gorshunov was questioned in the 2013 murder case of businessman Zubakin but did not receive any status in the case. He has been linked to the Tsentr organized crime group, appearing in a photograph with its leader, Mikhail Kuchin, although he denies any involvement or leadership position within the group.