I happen to have known Oleg personally. He was born in Komi, but he had lived in Gatchina for as long as he could remember. During his military service (1998–2000) he took part in an anti-terrorist operation in Dagestan and Chechnya. He didn’t like talking about it.
“Dirt and blood — there’s nothing romantic about that,” he once grunted, in response to hearing someone praise a war movie. “Better to watch ‘Schindler’s List’ if you’re looking for a war movie. Now that’s real war.”
In school, Gradusov was interested in the history of World War II. He took part in school history competitions, always taking first place. He could tell you anything about any battle of that war. But after his military service, his interest towards history disappeared. He completed technical college, and got a job at a car dealership.
“He was really great with cars,” his former colleague Igor Kovalev told Novaya Gazeta Europe. “His thing was foreign brands. He just understood them. Especially if there weren’t any original parts and replacements were needed. He was an expert. In 2017 he opened his own car shop, things were good. He planned to grow the business.”
After February 2022, foreign manufacturers left the Russian market, and Oleg’s client base shrunk. Spare parts became rare. For some time, he could still operate his shop, but by June he had to close it — he had no money to pay building rent. Even after selling his equipment, he barely had enough to pay off half of his loans.