On June 5, 2016, Denis Ogienko returned to Moscow following a three-day trip in Lipetsk. The European Sambo champion allegedly stepped out of his friend's car in front of his own house in the Tyolpy Stan district, bid goodnight, and was never seen again.
It is a mystery that puzzled police and bewildered the local community. Ogienko, a 36-year-old retired athlete who lived with his common-law wife and child, was a known figure in the neighbourhood. When Ogienko did not turn up for another two weeks, investigators suggested that the successful athlete may have been the victim of a gang-related crime.