Short biography of Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov (Taiwanchik)

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The Russian businessman of Uighur origin has long been portrayed by the world press as a crime boss. In the biography of Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov (Taiwanchik) there were a lot of dubious operations, including a card game. However, Russian law enforcement agencies have no complaints against him. Although there have been reports that he is on the Interpol and FBI wanted lists.

Early years

Alimzhan Tursunovich Tokhtakhunov was born on January 1, 1949 in the capital of Soviet Uzbekistan - Tashkent. Parents worked as doctors. During his school years, he became friends with the future crime boss and metallurgical magnate Mikhail Cherny, who sat at the same desk with his younger brother. So, even in his childhood, Alimzhan began to acquire the necessary connections, which he then very skillfully used. It was Cherny who in those years came up with the nickname "Taiwanchik" for his friend for an unusual cut of the eyes, which is not typical for Uzbeks, but is often found inUighurs, people of his nationality.

The biography of Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov connected him in subsequent school years with another person who also played a significant role in his fate. The parents sent the boy to study in the football section of the Pakhtakor football club, a cult for the inhabitants of the republic. Tennis players practiced next to the football players. Alimzhan made friends with the future head of the National Sports Fund and the head coach of the Russian tennis team, Shamil Tarpishchev.

Perpetual Player

Military service, like many talented athletes, was called to the CSKA system, to the famous football club. Thus began the Moscow period in the biography of Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov. In the second part of the team, the young guy firmly took his place on the bench. Which, however, did not upset him at all, he spent more and more time at the card table.

Soon he began to play not only in Moscow, where he preferred the National and Sovetskaya hotels, but also toured the resort towns of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody, Jurmala and Sochi. During these years, he made close acquaintance with many crime bosses and megastars of the Soviet stage - Kobzon, Pugacheva and Rotaru. Another profitable business for him was the organization of concerts of his fellow singers.

Life abroad

After the beginning of perestroika in 1982, a new period began in the biography of Alimzhan Tursunovich Tokhtakhunov -he moved to Germany. He took up the supply of food, cigarettes and alcohol to Russia. Thanks to the imperfection of the legislation and the benefits he received, he managed to make a fairly large fortune.

In 1992 he was expelled from Germany, Alimzhan Tursunovich moved to Israel and soon received local citizenship. Since 1993 he lived in Paris, where he returned to the card game for a while. He also provided various business services to Russians in the country. In 1999, he was expelled from France and moved to Italy.

Return to Moscow

2002 was a difficult year in Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov's biography, he was arrested at the request of the American authorities. He was accused of cheating and bribing sports judges in order to ensure the victory of the French couple Marina Anisina - Gwendal Peyser at the Winter Olympics in S alt Lake City. After ten months in a Venice prison, he was released and went to Moscow.

Russian law enforcement agencies had no questions for Tokhtakhunov, so he calmly started doing business. He opened several restaurants and nightclubs, and he also became a co-owner of one of the casinos. He renewed his friendship with domestic pop stars, became the owner of the Fatherland production center. Together with partners, he started the antiques business, opening the Triumph art gallery.

Personal Information

About 15 years he spent in various European countries due to his difficult biography. Where Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov lives has always been of interest to various publications. Since 2003, after returning to Russia, the businessman settled in the elite village of Peredelkino near Moscow.

He has two already adult children: Lola, whom he often calls his beloved daughter, lives in the USA, she is a ballerina by profession; illegitimate son, Dmitry, lives in Moscow and has already made Alimzhan Tursunovich a grandfather. In 2012, Tokhtakhunov (then he was 63 years old) and 24-year-old student of the Financial Academy Yulia Malik had two girls - twins Elizabeth and Ekaterina.

For a long time he has been friends with famous figures of Russian art and sports, including Alla Pugacheva, Vladimir Spivakov and Pavel Bure. For a long time (about 40 years) he was friends with Vyacheslav Ivankov (better known as "Jap").

Hobbies and hobbies

Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov described his biography in detail and frankly in the book "My Silk Road", in which he honestly spoke about himself. Without hiding his passion for card games, he described in detail the features of the "professional" game and the relationship of players in different countries. Since the late 1990s, Tokhtakhunov has been playing cards only for fun. In 2012, he appeared in the film "MUR", directed by Elyor Ishmukhamedov, where he played a thief in law, according to critics, quite convincingly. He became the prototype of Taiwanchik (Alik) in the TV movie "Courage" in 2014.

Currently, Alimzhan Tursunovich is engaged in business. A lot of timedevotes to charity, supports sports, art and culture. It publishes the magazines "Sport and Fashion" and "Domestic Football". Led the charitable organization "Domestic Football Fund". Tokhtakhunov has developed a project to reopen hotel casinos with proposals for their taxation and sale of licenses for legal activities.