June 13, 1986
In the early to mid-1980s, the Russian Mafia—or Mafiya—was just beginning to get a foothold in the United States. One place that was rich in Soviet emigrés was Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. That’s where Russian mob boss Marat Balagula set up shop and ran such rackets as credit card scams and gasoline bootlegging. He was making a sizeable profit for himself and his crew, and owned a beautiful mansion as well as the Odessa Restaurant on Brighton Beach Avenue. But all that money flowing into Balagula’s coffers was a red flag (or gold flag) to the Colombo family, and before long the Colombos began to shake down members of Balagula’s gang.
There was only one thing he could do, Balagula concluded—in the end it would be best to try to swim with the Mafia sharks rather than against them. So he put out feelers and asked for assistance from Christopher Furnari, consigliere of the Lucchese family.
Furnari agreed to provide protection to Balagula—for a small fee, of course. As long as the Russian allied himself with the Lucchese family, they would make sure that nothing happened to him and his rackets. The price for this service would be insignificant—just a tax of two cents per gallon of gas sold. These profits could then be divided between the Five Families and everyone would be happy. It was a stroke of genius and the gas racket became a goldmine for the Mafia.
This is where Vladimir Reznikov comes in. Reznikov heard about Balagula’s deal with the Italians and decided he wanted in on the gasoline pie. Driving past Balagula’s office one day, Reznikov pulled out a rifle and shot the place up. That was just his opening salvo.
Now that he’d gained Balagula’s attention, Reznikov became more brazen and stormed into the Odessa restaurant. Waving a Beretta in Balagula’s face, Reznikov demanded the payment of $600,000. If Balagula refused to pay, Reznikov would make short—and brutal—work of him. Balagula agreed, and promised to get the cash; but then as Reznikov left the restaurant, Balagula collapsed to the floor, struck down by a heart attack.
Resting at his home, Balagula called in his mob contacts. Now was the time for the Mafia to earn its keep. As requested, Balagula handed over a picture of Reznikov as well as a description of his car. Wheels had started to turn.
On June 13, 1986, Reznikov returned to the Odessa with his hands open. When he found out Balagula wasn’t there, he stormed out of the restaurant, got into his car and prepared to drive off. He didn’t get very far, for a gunman stepped up to his vehicle and fired through the window. Reznikov attempted to get out through the passenger side and pull out a revolver, but one final bullet put a swift end to him.
Word went out onto the street pretty quick after that—mess with Balagula, and you’re dead.