Alexey KOVALENKO, by his own admission, began his criminal activity at the age of seven when he shot an adult man in the face with a sawed-off shotgun during a conflict. His first contract killing took place on August 4, 2006, in Bishkek, where he killed the criminal authority Kanat KADYRMYSHEV. The victim was a close friend of the well-known criminal authority Kamchi (Kamchybek KOLBAEV, killed on October 4, 2023). The next victim was Nurmohammad MIYALITDINOV, known as Baton, and on December 9, 2007, in Talas, Kovalенко killed a Turkish citizen, Ch. SERVET.
It is unknown how many more crimes his hands have committed, but there is currently no official data on them. Kovalенко always worked in tandem with another experienced hitman nicknamed King Kong, who could use documents in the name of Yuri YUSUPOV or YUNUSOV.
After a series of murders in Kyrgyzstan, both hitmen moved to Almaty, where they hid from justice. However, Kamchi decided to deal with them, and in March 2008, Kovalенко was shot in the chest with two bullets in downtown Almaty. His life was saved by a surgeon who performed the operation in a rented apartment.
After recovering, Alexey decided to take revenge, believing that the customer behind his assassination attempt was the Russian businessman and criminal authority Musa SHATOEV. On the night of May 19, 2008, Kovalенко and his partner ambushed Shatoev, killing him at close range.
There is an alternative version stating that the murder was ordered by the Russian thief in law Habib, who had connections with the criminal underworld. How exactly the events unfolded remains unclear to this day.
Despite the criminal rules that imply hiding after carrying out a contract, Alexey and Yuri soon re-emerged at the youth festival Full Moon Party in the Kapshagay recreation area. In the morning, when the disco ended, they opened fire, killing 23-year-old Dmitry SHEVCHENKO and injuring five police officers.
Kovalенко was detained, but King Kong managed to escape. During the investigation, it was revealed that Kovalенко was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and his behavior at that time was inadequate. During the interrogation, he provided several false names and personal details, but eventually, his true identity was established.
Alexey was born on April 30, 1985, in Osh and was raised in an orphanage. Later, he was adopted by Lyubov KOVALENKO, but as he grew older, he began to commit offenses and became a member of a criminal gang. Ultimately, he confessed that in addition to Shatoev, he had killed two more businessmen in Kazakhstan and carried out three contracts in Russia.
After his arrest, Kovalенко's qualifications as a hired killer attracted the interest of criminal authorities, who even offered a ransom for his freedom. As a result, the court sentenced him to 23 years in a strict regime, and Yuri was placed on the international wanted list. Now, years later, King Kong was extradited to Almaty.
“A citizen of Kazakhstan, wanted for murders and illegal possession of weapons, was extradited to Kazakhstan thanks to the cooperation of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania,” the press service of the General Prosecutor's Office reported.
For the totality of crimes, Kovalенко could face a sentence of 20 years to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
