Aslan Gagiyev


Aslan Gagiyev is an alleged Russian crime figure.
An ethnic Ossetian, Gagiyev claims to have taken part in the Beslan school siege, rescuing women and children. Shortly afterwards he founded The Family, an organised crime group involved in contract killings, violent business disputes and vigilante justice, including the murders of Vladikavkaz mayor Vitaly Karayev and his deputy Kazbek Pagiyev. Members called each other Brothers, and included both former and serving law enforcement and military officers. The group had links with the Russian security services and the Tambov organised crime group.
By 2011 the Family was breaking apart by internal feuds and lost the support of the state apparatus. Gagiyev was charged with over 60 counts of murder and fled to Austria in 2013, where he made several attempts to avoid extradition, including claiming he had a fear of flying. An Austrian court eventually approved his extradition in 2018.