Mikhail Krug is a famous Russian performer who has received the status of the king of Russian chanson. His hit " Vladimir Central"became a kind of example musical works in the genre of "prison romance". Even people far from chanson know Krug’s songs by heart, not only in Russia, but also far beyond the country’s borders.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vorobyov, better known as Mikhail Krug, was born on April 7, 1962 in Tver. He grew up in an intelligent Soviet family: his father Vladimir worked as a civil engineer, and his mother worked as an accountant at a cotton mill. The boy was named after his grandfather, a front-line soldier. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a chauffeur and driving a car.

The young man was interested in music, he liked songs. Having received a guitar as a gift from his parents, the guy soon performed songs in front of the children in the yard. On the recommendation of teachers from the music school, Mikhail began attending button accordion lessons, but Vorobyov only had enough patience for six months. The teenager was never particularly interested in education; even in high school, he often skipped classes.

Death

Krug’s life ended suddenly: on the night of July 1, 2002, his house was attacked by unknown assailants. The criminals beat the singer's mother-in-law, and he himself was shot with pistols. The wife managed to hide in a neighbor's house, and the children were not harmed because they were sleeping in their rooms. Having recovered from his injuries, Mikhail managed to walk to the nearest house, from where a neighbor took him to the hospital. Doctors provided the singer with the necessary assistance, but in the morning the musician died from his injuries.

The death of the bard came as a big surprise to everyone. Relatives, colleagues, fans mourned. On the day of the funeral, a farewell to the author took place in the hall of the Tver Drama Theater. The funeral cortege, which went to the Dmitrovo-Cherkasy cemetery, where the musician’s grave is located today, was several kilometers long.

Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug(real name - Vorobyov; April 7, 1962, Kalinin - July 1, 2002, Tver) - Russian poet and bard. Author and performer of songs in the Russian chanson genre, one of the most popular representatives of the genre. Fans called him “the king of Russian chanson.” Author and performer of the song “Vladimir Central”, which has become one of the most famous examples of Russian chanson.

Mikhail Krug
Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov
Date of birth April 7, 1962
Place of birth Kalinin, RSFSR, USSR
Date of death July 1, 2002
Place of death Tver, Russia
Years of activity 1987 - 2002
Country Russia
Professions: singer, poet, composer
Singing voice baritone
Instruments guitar
Genres Russian chanson, art song
Collectives "Fellow Traveler"
Collaboration Vika Tsyganova, Vladimir Bocharov, Vadim Tsyganov, Tatyana Tishinskaya, Katya Ogonyok, Alexander Dyumin, Pearl Brothers

early years
Mikhail Vorobyov was born on April 7, 1962 in Kalinin. His father worked as a civil engineer, his mother as an accountant. He was the second child in the family (the first was Mikhail’s sister, Olga). His childhood and youth were spent in the old Proletarsky district, about which the song “Morozovsky Town” was later written. Studied at music school in accordion class, but then dropped out. He played hockey and was a goalkeeper. He studied poorly in secondary school and, according to the recollections of relatives and friends, constantly ran away from classes.

From the age of six, his idol was Vladimir Vysotsky. At the age of 11, Mikhail Vorobyov learned to play the guitar. He wrote his first poems at the age of 15, dedicating them to his classmate. When one day at a school party he performed one of the songs, a big scandal broke out at school.
After the army, Vorobyov, impressed by his songs, began to play the guitar and sing in his style.
Vorobyov graduated from secondary school No. 39 in the city of Kalinin. After completing his studies, he served in the army in Ukraine, in the Sumy region, in the city of Lebedin. After returning from the army, he got a job at POGAT ( Production Association truck) driver, delivered dairy products around the city for 10 years (from 1983 to 1993). In 1987, Mikhail Vorobyov was appointed head of the convoy and sent to study at the Polytechnic Institute. However, Mikhail didn’t like sitting in his office all day, and a year later he started working as a driver again and left the institute.

Personal life
In 1986, Mikhail met his first wife Svetlana, also a musician, former lead guitarist of the VIA Institute of Light Industry. Svetlana became Mikhail’s first producer and convinced him to make his work accessible to everyone. Before this, Mikhail wrote his poems and songs “on the table”. Svetlana was also looking for music competitions, insisted on recording songs on audio cassettes, sewed concert costumes with her own hands while working at the Model House. In 1987, Mikhail and Svetlana got married, and in 1988 their son Dmitry was born. In 1989, the couple separated. Unable to bear her husband's numerous affairs, Svetlana divorced him. In 2000, he married a native of Chelyabinsk, Irina, who after his death began performing under the pseudonym Irina Krug, she has a daughter, and in 2002, Irina and Mikhail had a son, Alexander.

Political Views
Mikhail Krug was characterized by near-monarchical political beliefs, conservatism, homonegativism (in particular, he called the Russian stage “the dominance of homosexuals”), and aversion to feminism. Krug was a member of the LDPR and a cultural assistant to its leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The striking personality traits of Krug, which were repeatedly emphasized in interviews with him, was hatred of people of left-wing political beliefs, in particular, communists.

Musical activities
In 1987, Mikhail successfully entered the institute, where he learned about an art song competition, took part in it and took first place with the song “About Afghanistan.” After that, he took songwriting seriously. A significant role in this was played by the bard Evgeny Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the jury at the 8th art song festival. It was he who said to Vorobyov: “Misha, you need to work...”. Mikhail Vorobyov chose his pseudonym “ Mikhail Krug" There are several versions of the origin of this pseudonym.

Vorobyov recorded his first album “Tver Streets” at the Tver studio in 1989, then the second album “Katya” and the third untitled album were recorded, all of them were never officially released, but were stolen by pirates and sold illegally. Almost all the songs included in these albums were rewritten and sung in subsequent albums. In 1994, the first official album by Mikhail Krug “Zhigan-Limon”, which, according to many, became a turning point in his creative destiny. Despite the criminal title, the album contained not only criminal songs, but also lyrical and ironic ones. The album was reissued several times and actually became a sign of Mikhail Krug’s invasion of Russian musical and poetic culture.

A documentary was made in 1995 film "Bard Mikhail Krug", which was shown on the Culture channel in 1999. In 1996, his first video “It Was Yesterday” was shown.

Since February 1997, a new soloist, Svetlana Ternova, worked with Mikhail, whom he heard at the Zavolzhye song festival and took into the group. A number of songs for Krug were written by Alexander Belolebedinsky; before that, Mikhail Krug performed only his own songs. Songs “I went through Siberia”, “Hello, Mom”, “The process is over (I’m crying bitterly)”, “Sparks in the fireplace”, “Chaim”, “Cry, violin (In every city)”, “Student”, “When we met with you” - folk songs, previously sung by the famous Soviet performer Arkady Severny. The song “Svetochka” was written by singer-songwriter Leonid Efremov. However, the text of Krug's version differs slightly from the original. The most famous song of the Circle is “Vladimir Central”, which was first performed in the album “Madame” and which became one of the most famous songs of Russian chanson. It is possible that it was dedicated to thief in law Sasha Severny.

On March 27, 1998, at the Cosmos Hotel, Mikhail took part in the presentation of the Ovation Award and received it in the Russian Chanson category. In November 1999, Mikhail took part in the “Musical Ring,” a friendly competition with Sergei Trofimov, and won. In January 1999, he took second place in popularity in the Russian Chanson competition. In April 1999, he was again nominated for the Ovation Award.

Tour
After graduation debut album Mikhail Krug began to actively tour the cities of Russia (mainly the European part).
Abroad, Krug first performed in 1997 at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival with the Zhemchuzhny brothers, where he sang four songs, one of which, “Madame,” was sung in a guitar version. In 1998, Krug performed in the USA - Miami, Boston, New York, Jacksonville. From February 22 to March 6, 2000, a tour of Israel was successfully completed. Concerts were given in the cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Haifa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ariel and others. Krug also performed in Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, etc.

Mikhail Krug repeatedly gave charity concerts, including in prisons.

Film career
In 2000 Mikhail Krug played the role of crime boss Leonid Petrovich in the film “April”.

Death and versions of murder
On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, Krug’s house in the village of Mamulino (Tver microdistrict) was attacked. In addition to the singer, there were five more people in the house - his wife Irina, mother-in-law and three children (son Dima from Mikhail’s first marriage, Irina’s daughter Marina and son Sasha (the baby was not even one and a half months old). The door of the three-story house was open.

Two unknown intruders entered the third floor of the house approximately between 23:00 and 0:15, where they found Krug's mother-in-law and attacked her, causing her bodily harm. The women came running to the screams Mikhail Krug and his wife Irina. The criminals opened fire with pistols. Irina managed to hide with her neighbors, and Mikhail received two severe gunshot wounds, after which he lost consciousness for a while. The criminals fled the crime scene. Having come to his senses, Krug managed to get to the house of neighbor Vadim Rusakov, where his wife was hiding.

Because the " ambulance” refused to leave without the police, then Rusakov himself took him to Tver City Hospital No. 6. Meanwhile, the police and ambulance were called and found his wounded mother-in-law in Krug’s house. The children of the Circle were not injured - Marina and Sasha were sleeping and did not even wake up, and Dima was sitting with headphones on at the computer. Mikhail Krug himself, despite the efforts of doctors, died on the morning of July 1.
The farewell service took place on July 3 at 10 a.m. in Tverskoy drama theater. The funeral was attended by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Alexander Semchev, Efrem Amiramov, Katya Ogonyok, the Zhemchuzhny brothers, many leaders of the Tver region, including its governor, Vladimir Platov. The funeral procession of cars stretched for several kilometers. After the funeral service in the Resurrection Cathedral in Tver, Krug was buried in the Dmitrovo-Cherkassky cemetery.

Various versions of the murder were built. For example, producer Vadim Tsyganov suggested that this could be an attempted robbery. Shortly before the murder, Krug recorded an album under the working title “Tverichanka” (later released under the name “Confession”), for which he was due to receive a fee any day. This version was rejected by those who believed that Krug was sincerely respected in criminal circles, but it was this version that was the most popular at the beginning of the investigation. According to another version, Krug became the victim of a planned, and possibly contracted, murder.

In 2008, the Tver Wolves gang was arrested in Tver, which may have been involved in the murder. Irina Krug identified one of the gang members, Alexander Ageev, as her husband’s killer, but the investigation failed to prove their involvement. Ageev was sentenced to life for other crimes.
On August 10, 2012, the media reported that the skeleton of a man who killed Mikhail Krug ten years ago was found in Tver. The location of the remains was indicated by a criminal serving a life sentence. However, the investigative committee only confirmed the discovery of the skeleton, but refuted the rest of the story. At the end of September 2012, information appeared in the media that the case had been solved, the investigation knew the specific perpetrators, who were arrested.

May 28, 2013 widow Mikhail Krug Based on the remains and photographs, she identified citizen Veselov, who was considered the direct perpetrator of the singer’s murder. On February 25, 2014, the killer of the “Wolf” gang, Alexander Osipov, who was sentenced to capital punishment, confirmed in an interview with the newspaper “ TVNZ"that the above-mentioned Dmitry Veselov killed Mikhail Krug.
On March 7, 2014, Komsomolskaya Pravda published an investigation, where for the first time the materials of the criminal case and details of the murder were made public Mikhail Krug.

Criticism
Many negative reviews dedicated to the work of Mikhail Krug indicate that the singer mainly satisfied the aesthetic needs of the criminal and semi-criminal layers of society. So, for example, in the article “Versions of the murder of Mikhail Krug” it was written that “ lyrical heroes his songs (especially the early ones) are mainly about thieves, robbers, prostitutes - in a word, people with a criminal past and present.”

In response to negative criticism directed at himself, Krug constantly stated that everyone who criticizes Russian chanson are people close to the official stage, which irritated him. In particular, in his last interview on June 13, 2002, he said:

“...As soon as someone smart starts labeling or tries to analyze the author’s work, an official analysis immediately appears, and the genre no longer needs it, since ordinary people who do not know the terminology do not need to be confused. This is good for academic genres, but not for ours. After all, who criticizes our genre are people involved in “pop”. They don't understand anything about our songs. I accept criticism, but this criticism must come from a person who commands my respect and has authority...”

A few years after the death of Krug, when the decision was made to erect a monument in Tver, a number of representatives of the Tver intelligentsia opposed this. In an open letter they stated:

“We are not against popular music, nor the Krug Foundation, nor the song festival named after him. We object to the construction of a monument to a person whose work, in our opinion, is controversial... The exaggeration of the significance of Krug’s work occurs against the backdrop of a deep crisis in our culture, problems of education, science, and serious art. But the installation of such a monument will mean a final change in the guidelines in society, because, in this way, we recognize that now our idol is a representative of show business, and a popular and criminal song becomes the standard and the main genre in art. We cannot agree with this. The installation of a monument to the Circle is an attempt to perpetuate something that cannot be perpetuated by definition, because it belongs to changing fashion and entertainment. And the next, logically, step after the ascension of this character would be the destruction of monuments to Pushkin, Krylov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, because the combination of these names within one city and one culture is impossible. Instead of erecting a monument to the author of songs about bunks and thieves' share, we propose to remember that The names of Gumilyov, Akhmatova, Mandelstam, whose last refuge was the city of Kalinin, are associated with the Tver region; that Dostoevsky, expelled from both capitals, once found refuge here..."
Reviews from other Russian chanson performers about Mikhail Krug are mostly positive. In 1994, during an interview, singer Willy Tokarev said that " Mikhail Krug first of all, he liked him as a person,” and that “he is sure that the Circle will delight him with beautiful songs more than once.” Another performer of Russian chanson, Evgeny Grigoriev (Zheka), said that Krug’s songs have “amazing energy that reflects the mood of the Russian soul,” because “Krug comes from the people.” Singer Victoria Tsyganova, with whom Krug collaborated more than once during his lifetime, said that Krug “sang with his soul” and that “his songs will forever remain in the hearts of millions.”

Among the fans of the Circle there were many famous people, who also spoke well of his work:
This is the first time in my life I'm burying someone like this good man. I’ve known Mikhail for several years now. He was my assistant. We liked each other. A wonderful guy - quiet, calm, there was never any pretentiousness or swagger in him, which is inherent in many pop performers. I always have his cassette playing in my car. It's like medicine. If the criminals knew who they entered the house, they would not have done this. Their arms and legs would become numb. With Misha's departure, an empty niche was left. Now, if, say, Shufutinsky had died, then Zvezdinsky would have remained. And Krug is like Vysotsky, no one can replace him...
- Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Memory
Immediately after death Mikhail Krug friends and relatives created a foundation with the goal of erecting a monument to the songwriter, which was headed by the elder sister of the deceased, Olga Medvedeva. For a long time Some of the creative intelligentsia of Tver protested against the installation of the monument. Nevertheless, on June 24, 2007, during the Tver city holiday, the monument was inaugurated on Radishchev Boulevard in the city center. Some time ago, the monument was dismantled and temporarily moved to Trekhsvyatskaya Street.

Festival in memory of the Circle 2010
The monument is cast from bronze. It shows Mikhail Krug sitting on a bench, leaning on his guitar. The monument is made in such a way that you can sit on a bench next to the monument and take a photo. The monument was repeatedly subjected to acts of vandalism, for example, in November 2007, his guitar was stolen, and in January 2008, unknown vandals painted it. Subsequently, the missing guitar was restored through the efforts of Moscow sculptor Andrei Smirnov. Krug’s sister, Olga Medvedeva, believes that this is the work of local punks who decided to mock the monument.

The house where Krug lived and his grave became a place of pilgrimage for fans. On April 10, 2007, the Mikhail Krug Museum was opened in the Lazurny nightclub. Mikhail loved to relax in this club and often mentioned it in his songs. The opening was attended by the mayor of Tver Oleg Lebedev, a number of other top city leaders, fans from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and the USA.

Festivals in memory of Mikhail Krug are held annually at the end of June; the last, eighth, took place on June 25-26, 2010. All festivals consist of two stages - the competition of performers “On the Wave of Chanson” and the concert of chanson stars. The following took part in the 2010 concert: famous performers Russian chanson, like Willy Tokarev, Vika Tsyganova, Irina Krug, Alexander Dobronravov and others.

There is also a store in Tver that sells paraphernalia with the symbols of Mikhail Krug.

"Legends of the Circle"
Was filmed in 2012 Feature Film“Legends of the Circle” directed by Timur Kabulov. The start of filming of the film was timed to coincide with two dates at once - the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Krug and the tenth anniversary of his death. Main role performed by actor and singer Yuri Kuznetsov-Tayozhny, who has an external resemblance to Mikhail Krug. The actor gained 16 kilograms especially for filming. In addition to him, Alexander Domogarov also starred in the film, playing the role of the musician’s friend. On April 22 and 23, 2013, the film was shown on Channel One, causing controversial reactions.

Discography

Magnetic albums

1989 - “Tver Streets” (not officially published), also published by pirates under the name “Lizok”
1990-91 - “Katya” (not officially published)
1990-91 - untitled album (not officially released)
1995 - “City of Childhood” (Demo version of the album “Green Prosecutor”, not officially released, released by pirates)
Number albums

1994 - “Zhigan-lemon” (reissued in 1995)
1995 - “Green Prosecutor” (Original title “Svetochka”)
1996 - “Live String”
1998 - “Madame”
1999 - “Rose”
2000 - “Mouse”
2002 - “Dedication”
2003 - “Confession”
Collections

1997 - “Zhigansky Songs”
1997 - “Lyrics”
1999 - “Crossroads”
1999 - Series “Legends of Russian Chanson”
1999 - “Vladimir Central”
2000 - “The Best of”
2001 - “After the third walk”. Live series. Concert in Serpukhov.
2001 - “Boys” (Series “Legends of the Genre”)
2002 - “I went through Siberia”
2004 - “Magadan”
2004 - “Golden Album”
2004 - “Grand Collection” 1 part
2005 - “Thief Songs”
2005 - “Free Song”
2005 - “Unknown Songs”
2005 - “Songs of Love”
2006 - “Vladimir Central 2”
2008 - “20 Best Songs”
2009 - “Favorite songs. RU"
2009 - “Vladimir Central (Soundtrack)”
2010 - “Nice, bro!”
2011 - “Student”
2011 - “Grand Collection” 2 part
2011 - Mikhail Krug “Romances”
2011 - Mikhail Krug “Chanson Alley. MK Collection"
2012 - Mikhail Krug - 50 years (Anniversary album) (2CD)
Collections jointly with other performers

2004 - “Mikhail Krug and c. Travel Companion - 10 Years Later"
2004 - “Mikhail Krug and Irina Krug - When we met you”
2006 - “Mikhail Krug and Irina Krug - My last love for you”
2009 - “Mikhail Krug and Dj Black Fox - Labyrinth”
2010 - “Mikhail Krug and Katya Ogonyok - It was yesterday...”
2011 - “Mikhail Krug and Irina Krug - Love Story”
Restored archival recordings

2004 - “Chronicle. Volume 2 - Sing your soul"
2004 - “Chronicle. Volume 3 - Home concert"
2004 - “My friend”
2005 - “To My Friends”
2008 - “Kalina-raspberry”
2008 - “Archival records of the Foundation “In Memory of Mikhail Krug””
2009 - “Kolshchik. New Sound"
Radio appearances

February 19, 1995 - concert at the Night Taxi studio
June 17, 1995 - concert at the Night Taxi studio
May 19, 2002 - concert at the Night Taxi studio
1996 - Acoustic concert at the Night Taxi studio
1996 - Recording of the album “Living String” (Full version of the album “Living String” with comments between songs)
"Swift Time" (03.12.2001)
2008 - Chanson Gold (7 CDs). The production center “Night Taxi Studio” released 7 discs in the “Chanson’s Gold” series in July 2008, which included recordings by Mikhail Krug from February 1995 to May 2002 in St. Petersburg.
Concert audio recordings

1995 - Concert in memory of Arkady Severny (St. Petersburg)
1995 - Concert “Russian Chanson”
1997 - Concert in Germany (Stuttgart)
1997 - 3 years of the Night Taxi program (St. Petersburg)
1997 - Concert “Russian Chanson 97” ( BKZ Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg)
1997 - Concert in Donetsk (published in 2003 under the title “Chronicle. Volume 1 - Concert in Donetsk”)
1998 - 1 year of the radio station “Russian Chanson” (12.18)
1999 - 5 years of the Night Taxi program (St. Petersburg)
1999 - 25 years of the ensemble “The Pearl Brothers” (Gorky House of Culture, St. Petersburg, 17.12)
2000 - Concert at the AZLK Palace of Culture - never released, was recorded by a fan of Mikhail Krug on a dictaphone.
2000 - Concert in Serpukhov (“After the third walk”)
2000 - Concert in memory of Arkady Severny (Gorky House of Culture, St. Petersburg, 14.04)
Albums and collections, dedicated to memory Mikhail Krug

2002 - We love and remember
2002 - Dedicated to the memory of Mikhail Krug
2003 - Concert in memory of Mikhail Krug
2003 - First of July
Gramophone records

2014 - Zhigan-Limon (Label: United Music Group)

List of songs by Mikhail Krug
Alphabetical list:

Song title Artist Composer Album title Year
And eat the chaffed garbage yourself M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Andrey Gorelov M.Krug M.Krug To my friends 2005
White snow M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Bravo M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
In every city M. Circle M. Circle Crossroads 1999
In azure - 3 M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
In azure - 4 M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
Vladimir Central M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
Vladimir Central - 2 (Jewish Prisoner) M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2003
We drink vodka M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Will and peace M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2003
Sparrows M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Everything will come true M. Krug M. Krug Madame 1998
Let's talk M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
Two destinies M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Girl - share M.Krug M.Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Girl - share - 2 M.Krug M.Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Day as day M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Kind, stupid, old M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Bon voyage M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1999
Roads M.Krug M.Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Long road M. Krug M. Krug Dedication 2002
Marriage M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Zhigan-lemon M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Life of Kolya M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
Belated ruble M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1999
Hello M.Krug M.Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
Hello, mother M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] Living String 1996
Hello! M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
Zinochka-Zinulya M.Krug M.Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
Golden domes M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Zone - No AIDS! M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Prison rap M. Krug M. Krug Green prosecutor 1995
Stage M.Krug M.Krug Rose 1999 is underway
Sparks in the fireplace M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] Living String 1996
Confession M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2003
Viburnum-raspberry M.Krug M.Krug Viburnum-raspberry 2008
Convict Gypsy M. Krug M. Krug Boys 2001
Katya M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Klava - Lilac M. Krug M. Krug Mouse 2000
Blind and deaf to everything M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Kolschik M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Beauty M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2003
Red pockets M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
Red pockets - 2 M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
Crosses M.Krug M.Krug Confession 2003
Kumovaya M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Swans M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Summer day M.Krug M.Krug Rose 1999
Lyrical M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
Magadan M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Madame M. Krug M. Krug Madame 1998
Mom's girlfriends M. Krug M. Krug Crossroads 1999
Maraviher M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Cross suit M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2003
Dream of marriage M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
My dear bunny M. Krug M. Krug Irina Krug. Handsome 2008
My dear city M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
I don't understand you M. Krug M. Krug Mouse 2000
I recognized many people here M. Krug M. Krug 1997
To my friends M.Krug M.Krug To my friends 2005
My God (Maraviher - 2) M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
My neighbor M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Monologue of a schizophrenic M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Morozov town M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
Musya the barmaid M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Mouse M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
On the Former New M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
On military vehicle M.Krug M.Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
To the south M.Krug M.Krug Confession 2003
Don't leave my love M. Krug M. Krug Irina Krug. You are my last love 2006
Not in Paris M.Krug M.Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
The light does not go out M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1999
Didn't burn, loved M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1993
Guilty of nothing M. Krug M. Krug After the third walk 2001
Nice one, bro! M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
New year, new orders M. Krug M. Krug Living String 1996
Nostalgia about future love M.Krug M.Krug Madame 1998
Well, goodbye M. Krug M. Krug Irina Krug. You are my last love 2006
About the city of Kalinin M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
About how women went to complain about men to God M. Krug M. Krug Perekrestok 1999
Autumn rain M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1994
What makes me laugh all day M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Let me go boss M. Krug M. Krug To my friends 2005
Boys M.Krug M.Krug Boys 2001
Letter to Mom M. Krug M. Krug Madame 1998
Puppy-like and wolf-like M. Krug M. Krug Mouse 2002
Yellowed leaf M. Krug M. Krug Crossroads 1999
Do you remember, there were the years M. Krug M. Krug
Dedication M. Krug M. Krug Dedication 2002
After the third walk M. Krug M. Krug After the third walk 2001
Wait, Soul M. Krug M. Krug Boys 2001
Come to my house (with V. Tsyganova) M. Krug M. Krug Dedication 2002
About Afghanistan M. Krug M. Krug Live String 1996
About the guests M.Krug M.Krug Student
About Tanya Sytina and everyone else M. Krug M. Krug Live String 1996
Walk with the month M.Krug M.Krug Rose 1999
Glory to the green prosecutor! M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
One, two, three on the kidneys M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2002
Rubicon M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2000
Svetochka L. Efremov L. Efremov Zhigan-lemon 1994
Freedom M.Krug M.Krug Dedication 2002
Seliger M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Blue dress M. Krug M. Krug
Slobodki M.Krug M.Krug After the third trip 2001
Case in the city garden M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
Student M. Krug M. Krug Vladimir Central - 2 2005
Tver resident M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] Confession 2003
Silence M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
At which gate M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1995
Clever M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1998
Morning scandal M. Krug M. Krug After the third walk 2000
Fraer M. Krug M. Krug Zhigan-lemon 1994
Chaim M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] Vladimir Central - 2 2005
Tea with bagels M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1998
Honest Thief M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1998
Chikolda M. Krug M. Krug
Chansonnier M. Krug M. Krug Vladimir Central - 2 2005
Euphemism about the past M. Krug M. Krug Living String 1996
Electric train M.Krug M.Krug Zhigan-lemon 1994
This name is M. Krug M. Krug Madame 1998
I cry bitterly M. Krug M. Krug Confession 2002
I'm waiting for you when you leave M. Krug M. Krug Concert in memory of Arkady Severny 1995
I know you M.Krug M.Krug Mouse 2002
I love you when you're far away M. Krug M. Krug Green Prosecutor 1996
I passed Siberia M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] M. Krug [source not specified 125 days] Living String 1996
I sat and shook someone else's dress M. Krug M. Krug Kalina-raspberry 2008
I'm standing on the porch of M. Krug M. Krug 1997
Yaroslavskaya M. Krug M. Krug Rose 1998

Videography

1995 - Day as day
1996 - It Was Yesterday
2002 - Traffic police
2003 - Kolshchik (Memory clip)
2003 - Wait, soul
2003 - Come to my house
Concert videos

1995 - Concert at the Old Castle cafe
1995 - Concert in Vorkuta
1996 - Concert in memory of Arkady Severny (St. Petersburg, Variety Theater, April 12)
1997 - Concert at the Tver Circus
1998 - Concert dedicated to the Day Defender of the Fatherland (Udomlya, February 23)
1999 - “Musical Ring” (St. Petersburg, “Giant Hall”, November 24)
1999 - Concert in Estonia (February 19)
2001 - Concert in Sochi
2002 - Concert in Kuvshinovo

Films based on songs

2005 - Vladimir Central

Art films

1994 - Bard Mikhail Krug
On TV
1997 - Face to Face
1999 - Walk of Stars
2000 - Adult songs
2002 - Nightingale Night (01/21/2002, TV-6)
TV programs about Mikhail Krug after his death:
2003 - Memoirs of the group “The Fellow Traveler” about Mikhail Krug
2004 - Come kill me
2004 - “Love Stories” with Irina Krug
2004 - Stress
2004 - Simply Mikhail Krug
2005 - Simply Mikhail Krug - Memories (film “Simply Mikhail Krug” + Memories of the group “The Fellow Traveler” about Mikhail Krug + excerpts from the program “Musical Ring”)
2006 - Life and death.
2006 - How idols left
2006 - Cafe “Chanson” (April 7)
2006 - Inexplicable, but true - Mystical deaths of stars
2006 - Murder according to the laws of the genre
2006 - Particularly dangerous. Bullet for the poet
2007 - Battle of psychics
2007 - How idols left
2008 - News about the restoration of the monument
2008 - News about the arrest of the killers [source not specified 550 days]
2008 - Emergency
2008 - The closed circle of Mikhail Krug (Let them talk)
2008 - Man and Law (October 16)
2008 - Life in the style of the 90s. My truth (STB)
2009 - First Blood
2009 - The Last Show
2012 - Secret show business. Cruel chanson. What connects the lads and chanson? The mystery of the murder of the cult chansonnier from the horse's mouth. (May 20)
2012 - Legends of the Circle (four-part TV movie)

Name: Mikhail Krug

Age: 40 years

Place of Birth: Tver

A place of death: Tver

Activity: singer - bard, poet, composer, singer

Family status: Was married

Mikhail Krug: biography

The real name of the singer and Russian chansonnier Mikhail Krug was Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov. He composed and performed his own musical compositions.

Mikhail had the opportunity to receive a musical education in his childhood, when he began to learn to play the button accordion, but the boy dropped out of music school. I became interested in sports and stood on the hockey goal. He often neglected and skipped schoolwork, which is why the boy’s studies were very poor. Music has been the main thing for Misha since childhood.

The boy was 6 years old when he first heard the songs of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky. The future bard at the age of 11 learned to play the guitar, like his idol, he firmly decided what his biography would be. IN adolescence Mikhail began writing poetry, and once performed a song by his favorite poet and performer at school.

The young man served in the army, but his love for Vysotsky’s songwriting did not decrease. Mikhail completely imitated his style of performance.

Unfortunately, the prose of life required the guy to master a profession, and Mikhail received the profession of a mechanic and car repairman at a school in the city of Kalinin. He started working as a driver on a milk tanker and worked for ten years.

After 4 years from the start of work in the motorcade, he was appointed chief. But a leadership position required higher education, and Mikhail begins to study at the Polytechnic University. Vorobyov was not satisfied with desk work, he dropped out of college and went back to work as an ordinary driver.

Music, songs

Krug joined Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s party and was his cultural assistant. There were many different turns in Mikhail’s biography, politics was one of them. The circle still decides to get higher education. At the institute, having heard about an art song competition, he takes part and takes first place. This victory inspired him to write own songs.

Bard Evgeny Klyachkin chaired the jury of the festival at which the Circle performed. Vorobyov also took a pseudonym after his victory at the competition. The first albums did not take long to appear, although many of Krug’s songs were stolen, but Mikhail rewrote his works and they were officially recorded in the singer’s subsequent albums.

A documentary was made about the Circle, which was shown on the Culture channel. His video was released, Mikhail begins performing abroad. For the first time he came to Germany to the chanson festival, where he performed on the same stage with the Zhemchuzhny brothers. The next tours were to America and Israel. The performer is no stranger to charity concerts, but he has his own special contingent - colonies and prisons.

New soloist and awards

Krug decided to change the composition of its group and took on lead singer Svetlana Ternova. New songs appear in the repertoire, which were offered to the circle team by Arkady Severny and Leonid Efremov. Mikhail’s calling card was the song “Vladimir Central”. Mikhail was awarded the first significant Ovation Prize in 1998.

A year later, the performer took part in a music competition and defeated Sergei Trofimov. A year later, the bard again received an Ovation. The year two thousand was marked by the fact that Krug played in the film “April”; he got to play a crime boss.

The tragic death of Mikhail Krug

2 years passed, and the singer was attacked in his own home. It happened at night. The entire Krug family was in the house: his wife with children and mother-in-law. Two people entered the house and beat up the singer’s mother-in-law on the third floor. Hearing the screams, the owners of the house came running and the criminals started shooting. Irina managed to escape, and Mikhail was seriously wounded twice. When the Circle came to its senses, the attackers ran away. The children were sleeping at that time, the criminals did not reach them. The ambulance took Krug himself to the hospital, but Mikhail was unable to survive, he died in the morning, the doctors did everything they could. No one suspected that the singer’s biography would be so tragic.

Personal life of Mikhail Krug

For the first time, Mikhail married a woman with musical education. Svetlana produced her husband’s performance in the future. She understood the many announced competitions. Svetlana was looking for more significant festivals and competitions and invited Mikhail to take part in them. The woman worked in the Model House. She sewed costumes for the catwalk with her own hands. A year after their marriage, the couple had a son, Dima. A year later, the couple separated because of Mikhail’s infidelities. Now Dmitry, having studied at the University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in St. Petersburg, went to serve in the police.

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Biography, life story of Mikhail Circle

Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug is a poet, bard, performer of songs in the chanson style.

early years

Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug (real name Vorobyov) was born on April 7, 1962 in the old district of the city of Tver, which was called Morozovsky town (later became known as the “Proletarka’s Courtyard”; the song “My Dear City” was written about it).

Misha’s father, Vladimir Mikhailovich Vorobyov, was a civil engineer and served as head of communications at the Moscow-Riga Highway Administration in Tver. Mom Zoya Petrovna worked as an accountant at a cotton mill. Vladimir passed away in 1995, Zoya at the beginning of 2019.

Mikhail with his parents and older sister Olga lived in a small room in the barracks. When Misha was very little, he dreamed of becoming a driver. With age, the desire changed - Mikhail wanted to become a musician. On his 11th birthday, he received a guitar as a gift from his parents. Misha was extremely happy to get his own musical instrument. Their neighbor knew how to play a little, and it was he who showed the teenager a few chords. It only took Mikhail a few days to learn them.

One fine day, teachers at a local music school heard Misha improvising on the guitar, and immediately suggested that his parents send their son to study. But the Vorobyovs did not rush into this - their financial situation was not the best. They had just bought a piano for their eldest daughter Olya and were not at all ready to splurge on a music school. Fortunately, Misha turned out to be so talented that he was accepted into the school on a budget basis. So the boy became a student in the accordion playing class. True, Mikhail studied for only six months - he fell in love with playing the button accordion immediately, but the boring solfeggio lessons were difficult for him. And in the end he just quit classes.

In high school, Mikhail also did poorly. He often skipped classes and did not complete assignments. But Misha loved sports very much - he played hockey and football, stood on the goal.

CONTINUED BELOW

Mikhail wrote his first poems at the age of 14, which he dedicated to his classmate. At that time, Mikhail’s idol was. After the army, Mikhail, impressed by his songs, began to play the guitar and sing in his style.

Mikhail graduated from school No. 39 on Sominka in the city of Tver as an auto repairman by profession.

After the army, Mikhail Vorobyov got a job as a dairy product delivery driver. One day, a young man did an unimaginably daring act - he swapped bags of milk and sour cream for senior party leaders with bags intended for ordinary people. The quality of the products varied greatly. When they found out about Misha’s trick, they first wanted to open a criminal case against him; but then the story hesitated, and Vorobyov himself, during 10 years of work at the enterprise, rose to the position of chief.

And after returning from the army, Mikhail got married. His wife's parents insisted that he go to college because... their daughter graduated with honors from the Institute of Light Industry, and his education did not correspond to their principles. In 1987, Mikhail successfully entered the institute, where he learned about an art song competition, took part in it and took first place. After that, he began writing songs seriously. E.I. played a significant role in this. Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the jury at the 8th art song festival, where he saw the hidden talent in Mikhail, and said: "Misha, you need to work...".

Music

Mikhail recorded his first album “Tver Streets” at the Tver studio, then the second album “Katya” was recorded, and the third album was untitled. All of them had no way out, but were stolen and distributed in a pirate way. Almost all the songs from these albums were rewritten and sung in the albums “Green Prosecutor”, “Madame”, “Rose”, “Mouse”. In 1994, the first official album “Zhigan-Lemon” was released.

The first performance of the Circle took place in Moscow, at the Variety Theater at the Russian Chanson festival in November 1996. In the same year, the first video “It Was Yesterday” was shown.

On the cover of the Zhigan-Lemon disc, Mikhail is depicted with his musicians. On the left is Vladimir Ovcharov (left for Israel), on the right is Vlad Savosin, accordion player.

For the release of audio cassettes with the album “Zhigan-Limon” from the Soyuz studio, Mikhail did not receive a penny, but for the release of laser discs with the same album he received three thousand dollars ($3,000), although he spent much more on the recording.

The second video, “A Day Like a Day,” was shot by his friends. It can be seen on the videotape "Songs of Mikhail Krug".

The song "Kolshchik" took three years to write and had three different versions. The last option on the album "Zhigan-lemon".

Mikhail dedicated all his songs in his first four albums to his first love, Marina. The song "Pie Girl" was written in 1987 and dedicated to her.

The first time Mikhail Krug performed abroad was in 1997 at the “Russian Chanson in Germany” festival, where he sang four songs, one of which, “Madame,” was sung in a guitar version. It can be heard on the disc "Russian Chanson in Germany" released by the German company "Solo-Florentin".

In February 1997, a new soloist, Svetlana Ternova, began working with Mikhail, whom he heard at the Zavolzhye song festival and took her into the group. In parallel with his work, he wrote her an album in pop style.

Mikhail wrote the songs “Green Field” and “My Queen”, which Sveta sings, at the age of 16 and also dedicated them to Marina. He remade them to be performed from a female perspective.

On March 27, 1998, at the Cosmos Hotel, Mikhail took part in the presentation of the Ovation Award and received it in the Russian Chanson category.

The most popular song by Mikhail Krug is “Vladimir Central”. According to some reports, the Circle dedicated this song to Sasha Severov, a famous thief in law.

In 1999, Mikhail Krug participated in the TV show “Musical Ring”. On the show, the artist competed with the singer. The confrontation ended in victory for the circle. In the same year, Mikhail took part in the “Russian Chanson” competition and took an honorable second place there.

Mikhail Krug had a very extensive touring geography. He has given concerts in Israel, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, America, Germany and other countries.

Mikhail Krug often gave charity performances. He often organized concerts for prisoners.

Interesting Facts

First great interview Mikhail gave, answering questions in an hour-long program in the studio of cable television A.L.S. March 9, 1998 (Moscow, Goncharova St., 17).

In the summer of 2000, filming of the film “April” was completed, in which Mikhail Krug played a crime boss.

There was prohibition in his group for three years.

One day Mikhail gave money for a new video, but they returned it to him because... his songs were banned from television.

The ring with three diamonds that he always wears was given to him by thief in law Khobot.

Mikhail takes the criminal expressions for his songs from a 1924 dictionary for internal use of the NKVD, which he acquired by accident.

In 1994, the film "Bard Mikhail Krug" was filmed. It was shown on the Culture channel only in 1999.

At a concert in Boston, the Italians gave Mikhail cool trousers.

Personal life

Mikhail's first wife's name was Svetlana. Svetlana was also a musician - she played guitar at the VIA Institute of Light Industry; worked at the House of Models. It was Sveta who gave Krug self-confidence. Before meeting her, Mikhail wrote songs only for himself; and Sveta convinced him that the works were actually talented and interesting and simply had to be presented to a wide audience. Svetlana did not just support Mikhail with words - she promoted him to music competitions, helped with recordings, and sewed concert costumes with her own hands.

Mikhail and Svetlana got married in 1987. In 1988, the couple had a son, Dmitry, and already in 1989 the couple filed for divorce. Svetlana was very tired of Mikhail’s constant betrayals and decided to put an end to their family life.

In 2001, the chanson singer married for the second time. She became his second wife (born in Chelyabinsk on March 29, 1976). Irina worked for Mikhail as a costume designer for many years. On May 26, 2002, Misha’s son was born. The boy was named Alexander. Their family also raised a daughter from her first marriage, Marina (born in 1995).

Death

On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, Mikhail was killed in his home in Tver. On that ill-fated night, unknown persons broke into the house of Mikhail Krug. The villains brutally beat the artist's mother-in-law. Spouse

Mikhail Krug (real name Vorobiev) is a Russian bard, performer in the chanson genre and, according to fans, “the king of Russian chanson.” The author of the most popular composition in this genre is the song “Vladimir Central”. His life was cut short by a bullet fired at him in his own home by robbers. Long years Krug’s murder and his mastermind were unknown, but in 2019 new details appeared in the case that helped identify the killers.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov was born in the city of Kalinin (present-day Tver) on April 7, 1962. His father, Vladimir Mikhailov, worked as an engineer at a carriage factory, and his mother, Zoya Petrovna, worked at a cotton mill. Mikhail became the second child in the Vorobyov family, whose daughter Olga was already growing up.

Misha Vorobyov spent his childhood and youth in the old proletarian district of the Morozov town, about which he later wrote the song “My Sweet City.” These were ancient barracks, heated with peat. They lived poorly, but amicably. Little Misha was different from the dejected inhabitants of the microdistrict: he constantly joked, amused the adults, and was even more of a tomboy. Later, his father was given an apartment on Ordzhonikidze Street, but the memories of his childhood in the Morozov barracks remained with Mikhail for the rest of his life.

At a music school, the boy learned to play the button accordion, but completed his education. Vorobiev studied poorly at secondary school, and, as his relatives and friends recall, he constantly skipped classes.

The teachers bombarded the schoolboy Vorobyov with comments: his classmates could have one, maximum two comments, but he once accumulated as many as 47: either he didn’t say hello to the teacher, or he didn’t bring his change. When mom wanted to know the reason for this behavior, Misha took the pose: “I don’t greet her because she’s unfair!”

Mikhail always took the side of truth and justice. Although he was considered the first bully in the class, he was also the most sympathetic and caring student. He was the first to go out on cleanup days, and many years after graduating from school, he was the only one who visited his first teacher.

At the age of six, Mikhail first heard the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky and immediately fell in love with the work of this poet and musician. This passion helped Misha fall in love with music. At the age of 11, the boy had already mastered the guitar, and when he was 14, he wrote his first poems, which he dedicated to a classmate. One day at school, Mikhail sang the song of his idol Vysotsky, after which a scandal broke out.

Having received a matriculation certificate, the future musician went to the Kalinin School and received the profession of a car mechanic there, and then was called up for military service in the Sumy region of Ukraine.

Upon returning from the army, Mikhail continued to perform songs, imitating Vysotsky. From 1986 to 1993, Vorobiev worked as a driver at various enterprises. He was fired from one of his jobs, at a dairy factory: he lost his temper when he learned that some cans were filled with full-fat milk for party officials, while water was added to the milk in those intended for ordinary residents of Tver. He changed the cans, but the deception was revealed.

Then, for a short time, Mikhail was the head of the city motorcade. He quickly became bored with office work, and he returned to the driver’s seat, where he worked until 1996. By that time, he could already make a living exclusively from music.

Creative path

In 1987, Mikhail was sent from work to study at the Polytechnic University, which he, however, soon dropped out of. That same year, he decided to take part in an art song competition, where he performed his composition “About Afghanistan” and took first place.

The first victory instilled in him more self-confidence, and he took songwriting seriously. The bard Sergei Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the festival, also pushed him into creativity. The musician appreciated Vorobyov’s talent and told the debutant: “Misha, you need to work...”. The aspiring bard chose the pseudonym Mikhail Krug.

Why Circle? We don’t know the exact answer to this question, but we will quote his mother’s words:

He liked this figure. He told me: “If you stand in the center of the circle, you will be equally distant from any point.” And thirdly, as in fairy tales: “If there is any trouble, draw a circle around yourself - and you are safe.”

However, there is an opinion that Mikhail Krug was named after the hero from his favorite Soviet TV series “Resident's Mistake.”

In 1989, Krug released his first album entitled “Tver Streets”. A year later, a second album appeared called “Katya” and a third without a title at all. However, none of these records were officially released - they were all distributed throughout Russia through piracy. Later, Krug himself re-recorded almost all the compositions from the albums on his next records.

Mikhail Krug - “Zhigan-lemon”

In 1994, the artist’s new album, “Zhigan-Limon,” appeared, which became a turning point in the musician’s fate. Despite the fact that the name of the record refers to criminal themes, not only criminal, but also lyrical compositions were recorded on it. “Zhigan-Limona” was subsequently reissued several times, and it was this album that became Mikhail Krug’s symbolic invasion of Russian musical and poetic culture.

In 1994, a documentary film “Bard Mikhail Krug” was made about the musician, which was shown on the “Culture” TV channel only in 1999. For some time, Krug was simply not allowed on television - the musician’s videos began to be broadcast only in 1996. The first audience saw was the video for the song “It Was Yesterday.”

“It Was Yesterday” - the first video by Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug performed abroad for the first time in 1997 - at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival he sang with the Zhemchuzhny brothers. At that concert, Krug performed four songs, one of them – “Madame” – in a guitar version. In the same year, a new soloist, Svetlana Ternova, began working with Mikhail Krug.

In 1998, Russian migrants in American cities became acquainted with the work of the Russian performer, and in 2000 the musician toured Israel. Mikhail Krug very often gave charity concerts and performed for free in prisons.

It is worth noting that the artist himself never sat in places not so remote.

Usually Krug sang songs of his own authorship, but a number of compositions were written for him by Alexander Belolebedinsky. These are “I passed Siberia”, “The process is over”, “Hello, Mom”, “Sparks in the fireplace”, “Cry, violin (In every city)”, “Chaim” and “Student”. These songs were previously performed by Arkady Severny. But “Svetochka” was written by Leonid Efremov - Krug only slightly changed the original text.

The most popular and beloved among fans was Mikhail’s song “Vladimir Central”, which became one of the most famous compositions of Russian chanson in general. The song was first performed in the album “Madame” (1998). There is an assumption that it is dedicated to thief in law Sasha Severny.

Mikhail Krug - “Vladimir Central” (concert at Luzhniki, 2000)

In March 1998, Mikhail Krug received the Ovation Award in the Russian Chanson category. And in the fall of 1999, the musician entered the “Music Ring” together with Sergei Trofimov and defeated his colleague in a friendly duel. In the same year, the singer took second place in the Russian Chanson competition. At that time, he became one of the most popular artists in the country, although the attitude towards his work among different circles of society was ambiguous - the creative intelligentsia called the success of the Circle a symbol of the crisis of Russian culture in difficult times for the country.

Personal life of Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug's first love was called Marina. The young man spent all the pennies he earned on her. She promised to wait for him from the army, but did not keep her word. Mikhail got married for the first time after serving in the army. The wife's name was Svetlana. She was a seamstress, and they met through a mutual friend. But family life was short-lived: the wife did not like that her husband often came home drunk, and her intelligent parents never tired of reminding her that a vocational school graduate was not a match for her. In 1988, Mikhail Krug divorced his wife and sued her son Dmitry - he decided to raise the child on his own.

In 2000, Krug married for the second time. His chosen one was a waitress from Chelyabinsk Irina, with whom he, a restaurant client, fell in love at first sight. In order to constantly be close to this beautiful woman, the musician offered her a job as a costume designer, but at first the girl refused. But, after weighing all the pros and cons, Irina later accepted the job offer and for a year simply carried out her tasks and toured with the Circle. The musician rented her a one-room apartment in Moscow and helped her financially in every possible way.

Finally, in 2001, Irina married Mikhail. She already had a daughter from another marriage, Marina, whom Krug took under his wing and began to raise as his own. In 2002, the family had a common child - son Alexander.

By the way, the musician was an adherent of monarchist political beliefs, a conservative and a homophobe, supported the Domostroevsky way of life in the family and had an aversion to feminism. He considered the Russian stage to be “dominated by people of non-traditional sexual orientation.” Krug was a member of the LDPR and one of the assistants to its leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Death

On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, in the Tver village of Mamulino, the artist’s house was attacked. At that moment, in addition to the singer, his wife, mother-in-law and children were in the house. Two unknown men entered the third floor of the house, attacked the artist’s mother-in-law and began to injure her. Krug himself and his wife Irina came running to the woman’s screams. Then the criminals opened fire on them. Irina was able to escape, and Mikhail, who protected her from the bullets, received two serious wounds and lost consciousness. In the confusion, the attackers managed to escape, finally shooting the dog.

The circle came to its senses and was able to get to neighbor Vadim Rusakov, where Irina had fled. The man took the musician to the Tver City Hospital. At this time, the police were already working at the scene, and doctors were helping the musician’s mother-in-law. Fortunately, the children were not harmed.

The farewell service took place on July 3. The whole world saw off the musician on his last journey. Not only colleagues, but also government officials came to say goodbye. The funeral ceremony stretched for several kilometers. Mikhail Krug was buried at the Dmitrovo-Cherkassky cemetery.

Consequences and memory

After the death of her husband, Irina began performing under the pseudonym Irina Krug. Most of her repertoire are songs dedicated to the memory of her late husband.

Irina Krug - To you, my last love

Mikhail's eldest son, Dmitry Vorobyov, was barely 14 when the bard was killed. The family was worried that the loss of his father would have a negative impact on the teenager and decided to transfer him to cadet corps. Of course, at first the boy did not understand why such a punishment would be given to a man who had just lost his father? But he quickly got involved and even fell in love with cadet life. Subsequently, he graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and became a policeman.

Dmitry is similar to his father in appearance, but not in character: he is a very reserved person, does not play the guitar, does not sing, and avoids communicating with the press. However, relatives say that he changes around those close to him: he jokes, smiles, and is always ready to help.

The youngest son of Mikhail Krug, Alexander, does not remember his father, nor does he remember that ill-fated night. According to press reports, the boy officially took the surname Krug, as his mother Irina wanted. Unlike his brother, Sasha loves attention: he runs Instagram, which has several thousand subscribers, and sometimes participates in talk shows. Outwardly, he clearly took after his mother.

In 2007, a bronze monument was erected to Mikhail Krug on Radishchev Boulevard in Tver. The Russian bard and chansonnier sits on a bench and rests his hands on a guitar, next to him there is a free place where anyone can sit and take a photo. Funds for the installation of the monument were raised by the Mikhail Krug Foundation, which was headed by his older sister, Olga Medvedeva.

Investigation into the murder of Krug

A variety of versions of the murder appeared one after another. Producer Vadim Tsyganov suggested that it was a banal robbery attempt. On the eve of the murder, the musician, together with Vika Tsyganova, Vadim’s wife, recorded the record “Vladimir Central-2” and was supposed to receive a large fee. According to another version, the artist became the victim of a planned and perhaps even contract murder

The case of the musician’s murder got off the ground only in 2008: the Tver Wolves gang, possibly related to the murder of Krug, was arrested in Tver. One of its participants, Alexander Ageev, was identified by the musician’s widow Irina as the killer of her husband. However, his involvement could not be proven. Ageev received a life sentence, but for other crimes. The case was suspended out of despair.

Mikhail Krug: murder solved?

2019 brought new clues. An investigative experiment was conducted in Krug's house. Two members of the Tver Wolves gang, Dmitry Veselov and the same Ageev, testified. It turned out that one of the local crime bosses, nicknamed Lom, gave them the order to rob Mikhail Krug. He believed that the chansonnier’s modest house was stuffed with antiques and jewelry.

The bandits thought that no one was home, but in the midst of searching for the valuables, Mikhail’s family returned home. The criminals hid on the top floor and were taken by surprise by Mikhail's mother-in-law. The men hit her with the butt of a pistol and tried to escape, but on the way out they ran into Krug. While fleeing, Veselov shot the musician twice. The wound turned out to be fatal.

Veselov is no longer alive. A year later, he was shot by another member of the Tver Wolves, an admirer of Mikhail Krug’s work, Alexey Osinov. He is now serving a life sentence. Since Ageev is already serving a life sentence, and also due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for attempted theft (his offense was included in this article), his punishment has not changed. The criminal case has been discontinued. Mikhail’s mother never found out the names of her son’s killers - she died of a heart attack in January 2018. Irina Krug thanked the Investigative Committee staff for solving the case.