EXCLUSIVERussian hit squad in Canary Wharf: How multi-millionaire banker was blasted by submachine gun in botched execution as cops take major step in hunt for assassins
The case of a multi-millionaire Russian banker gunned down in London could be a step closer to being solved after the only man to face charges was put on Interpol's most wanted list.
German Gorbuntsov, now 58, was shot several times outside his lavish apartment building in Canary Wharf in March 2012.
A would-be assassin fired from a submachine gun fitted with a silencer, which he later chucked in a bush as he made his getaway on foot.
Gorbuntsov, nicknamed the 'Black Banker', spent several days in a critical condition but eventually pulled through.
The businessman now lives under 24-hour police protection and is likely to have a new identity.
The gunman has never officially been found, but Russia did file charges against Moldovan politician and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, who survived an assassination attempt himself in 2017, for allegedly organising the plot.
At the time, Interpol refused to put him on the wanted list at Russia's behest, likening the attack to an internal political dispute.
Confusingly, Plahotniuc was later accused of stirring pro-Russian unrest in Moldova and was placed under US and EU sanctions.
German Gorbuntsov was shot several times by a would-be assassin who fired from a submachine gun fitted with a silencer in Canary Wharf in 2012
He is believed to have fled to Northern Cyprus or Turkey.
Last month, Interpol placed him on the wanted list over an arrest warrant issued in Moldova for alleged money laundering, meaning British authorities could also seek his extradition if arrested.
It comes as greater scrutiny is being placed on high-profile and wealthy Russians living and operating in London. And also how those with links to the Russian state are working in Britain.
Last week, three members of a Russian spy ring who carried out espionage activity on British and European soil over three years were convicted.
Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty of conspiracy to spy at the Old Bailey following a trial.
The team, who are all Bulgarian nationals, worked under the direction of Roussev, and were tasked with gathering information about prominent individuals – and significant locations – that were of interest to the Russian state.
Between August 2020 and February 2023, the group used sophisticated methods to carry out their surveillance, including manufacturing and using fake identities, making and adapting covert recording devices and deploying advanced technology to acquire information.
One source said: 'You've got a very high-profile unsolved attempted murder of a wealthy Russian banker on the streets of London.
Gorbuntsov, nicknamed the 'Black Banker', spent several days in a critical condition but eventually pulled through
A suspected gunman is seen walking near the scene of the shooting in London on March 20, 2012
Gorbuntsov was shot in the doorway of his exclusive block of flats in Canary Wharf
'And a wanted man with political motives behind it accused of ordering it.
'It's a very serious situation. With the spies last week convicted of working on behalf of Russia, it shows how there are dark forces at play.
'Russia has history of carrying out acts linked to violence and trying to settle scores on British soil.'
Gorbuntsov was shot multiple times at around 7:30 PM as he left a taxi near his apartment.
At the time, it was the most high-profile act of violence against a Russian in the UK since the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.
Gorbuntsov is a former owner of multiple banks in Russia and Moldova, including Moldovan bank Universalbank and Capital Commercial Bank, and fled to London in 2010 having reportedly given the names of corrupt officials to journalists.
He was reportedly seeking political asylum at the time of the attack.
His lawyer, Vadim Vedenin, said his client had been involved in disputes with former business associates.
Gorbuntsov had provided testimony in a Russian investigation related to the 2009 attempted assassination of another banker, Alexander Antonov, who was allegedly in debt by $108 million to business associates.
The 'Black Banker' now lives under 24-hour police protection and is likely to have a new identity
Russian officials were scheduled to question Gorbuntsov in London regarding the case, but their visit was unexpectedly canceled just days before he was shot, fueling speculation that someone aimed to prevent him from testifying.
In 2017, professional Moldovan hitman Vitalie Proca, who was sentenced to jail in Romania for a killing in Bucharest six months later, said that he shot Gorbuntsov on the orders of Vlad Plahotniuc.
He said: 'The order was made by Plahotniuc. I don't know how the rest of the world sees him, but I consider him a career criminal and I know what I say. He found me in a moment when I had financial difficulties. I could not repay a debt and they offered me to do this.'
But Proca has never been extradited to Britain from his jail cell in Romania, where he is serving a life sentence.
Reports also suggest a potential link between Gorbuntsov's case and powerful figures from Russia's Chechen leadership.
He allegedly claimed that one of his former partners had sought assistance from Adam Delimkhanov, a close associate of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Delimkhanov has been implicated in various assassinations abroad, adding to speculation that the attack on Gorbuntsov may have been ordered by high-level figures.
The then-suspected mistress of Russian banker German Gorbuntsov stood beside the ambulance that took him to hospital
Gorbuntsov also alleged that he was forced to surrender $1 billion from his Industrial Credit Bank to criminal groups linked to the Russian FSB intelligence agency and Moscow's Solntsevskaya crime syndicate.
Despite numerous attempts to seek protection from Russian authorities, his appeals were ignored, leading him to seek refuge in London.
Despite numerous appeals to Russian authorities, he said his concerns were ignored, prompting his relocation to London.
Scotland Yard searched for a suspect described as a slim, 6-foot-tall white male who wore a hooded jacket.
Some reports have linked the shooting to one of Moscow's most fearsome mafia groups, the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood.
The Solntsevskaya Brotherhood is one of the most powerful and notorious organised crime syndicates in Russia.
The shooting had echoes of the murder by poisoning of intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 which led to a cooling of relations between Britain and Moscow
Emerging in the late 1980s in Moscow's Solntsevo district, the group made millions through drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and arms smuggling.
Unlike traditional criminal mafia groups, the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood operates more like a network, with independent cells working under a loose central leadership.
By the 1990s, the group had gained international reach, forging alliances with other criminal organisations across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
It has been linked to criminal mastermind Semion Mogilevich and high-profile financial crimes, including large-scale fraud and the infiltration of legitimate businesses to launder illicit funds.
The gang's connections to Russian political and intelligence circles have made it particularly difficult for law enforcement to dismantle its operations.
The Solntsevskaya Brotherhood's involvement in violent retribution against business and political adversaries has been well documented.
