Mashkov quarreled with his daughter, Kryuchkova is fighting cancer: how the actors of the series “Liquidation” live 15 years later.

Fans believe that someday Sergei Ursulyak will direct a continuation of the series, but the director himself stubbornly refuses to do this.

All fans of TV series are divided into two types: some try not to miss any new releases and closely follow everything that appears on streaming services, while others never cease to declare their love for the immortal classics. And there may be several reasons for the latter.

Psychologists believe that behind the desire to watch the same series over and over again lies an attempt to protect oneself from unnecessary worries. If we know exactly what awaits the heroes in the finale, then we can simply relax and enjoy the plot - without sweaty palms from nerves and rapid heartbeat.

Now, when the level of stress in the world is only growing every day, watching a couple of episodes of your favorite TV series before bed can be a truly effective way to take your mind off your problems, at least for a little while.

“Liquidation” is considered one of the best Russian TV series. It was released 15 years ago, but its fans are still pestering director Sergei Ursulyak with requests to make a sequel. For now, he remains adamant and insists: for him, this story has reached its logical conclusion, and trying to squeeze anything more out of it is pointless.

Years go by, “Liquidation” continues to be watched, and the actors who played the main roles in the series still remain the favorites of millions. We tell you how their lives have changed since David Gotsman solved the case, adopted the homeless child Mishka Karas, got married, and the credits ran across the screen.

Vladimir Mashkov

The main role in “Liquidation” was played by Vladimir Mashkov: at that time he was already a successful actor, but after the release of the series his popularity only increased. He received the Golden Eagle award, became the artistic director of the Moscow Oleg Tabakov Theater and received the title of honorary citizen of Odessa, but in March 2022 the actor was banned from entering Ukraine.  

The actor’s career has always been smooth, but the same cannot be said about his personal life. After breaking up with his fourth wife Oksana Shelest, Mashkov was credited with having affairs with Paulina Andreeva, Daria Kulida, and other young actresses, but these rumors were never confirmed. But the quarrel between Vladimir Mashkov and his daughter Maria was not hidden from anyone.

Several years ago, she and her husband moved to the United States and recently admitted that, due to political disagreements, she completely stopped communicating with her father, who insisted that she urgently return to Russia. The actress refused to do this.

"We did not understand each other. But the last thing I heard from him was: “Mash, I love you,” Mashkova recalled.

Mikhail Porechenkov

Mikhail Porechenkov admitted that he was able to watch the series only several years after its release. Once he came on vacation to a ski resort, but never went skiing because he couldn’t tear himself away from the screen and leave the hotel room.

Before filming began, he set the task of making his character - a spy and saboteur nicknamed Academician - not a flat villain, but adding charisma to him.

“There are different types of enemies, but not only do I make the Academician charming, I also love him and justify him, because if you are indifferent to your hero, it’s better not to take on the role,” said the artist.

And he succeeded: at various meetings with fans, Porechenkov was sometimes greeted even warmer than Vladimir Mashkov. After the success of the series, the actor continued to play at the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov, hosted the “Battle of Psychics”, and also starred in the TV series “The White Guard”, “Doctor Tyrsa”, “Murka” and played Ivan Poddubny in the film of the same name.

In order to transform into the great Russian wrestler, he had to gain 25 kilograms, and then lose them under the strict supervision of specialists.

Sergey Makovetsky

Sergei Makovetsky brilliantly played the pickpocket Fima in the series and once again amazed everyone with his acting talent, but all this might not have happened. The fact is that this role was not intended for him, but for Andrei Krasko. He even managed to learn the script and spend several days on set, but then he felt unwell.

The series was filmed in Odessa: at that time there was terrible heat in the city, and Krasko’s body simply could not stand it. The artist’s wife took him to the dacha, but as soon as he got into the house, he lost consciousness. While he was being taken to the hospital, he was still alive, but died in the hospital the next morning. All scenes involving Krasko had to be re-shot. Except for one in which the murdered Fima lies on his stomach.

Ursulyak did not believe that anyone could replace Krasko, but he needed to somehow resolve this issue.

“There was no casting. I called Seryozha Makovetsky and asked him to come. He dropped everything and rushed to Odessa. I am grateful to him that he did not listen to any superstitious nonsense,” the director recalled.

After “Liquidation”, Sergei Makovetsky played in many films and TV series: “Live and Remember”, “2-Assa-2”, “Pop”, “Miracle”, “Isaev”, “Burnt by the Sun - 2”, “Quiet Don” , “Bad weather”, “Godunov”, “Zuleikha opens her eyes”, “Ivan the Terrible” and others. And the actor has been living in a happy marriage with his wife Elena for more than 40 years.

Nikolay Spiridonov

The dark story turned out to be connected with Nikol Spiridonov, who played Mishka Karas, who is adopted by Gotsman in the finale. At the time of filming in the series, he was 12 years old, and all the critics predicted a successful career for the boy. After “Liquidation,” Spiridonov actually began to receive offers, but not as many as he would like.

Nikolai played several roles in the projects “Secrets of the Investigation”, “Fierce”, “Leningrad 46” and others. His last work was the 2016 film “Ivan.”  

Little is known about the actor’s personal life: it was rumored that in the past he had a very tense relationship with his mother, and several years ago news spread across the Internet that Spiridonov was allegedly accused of attempted murder. According to the actor himself, all this was not true. He doesn’t talk about what’s happening to him now, but notes: he doesn’t want to act in films anymore.

He lives in St. Petersburg: Nikolai is divorced, but he and his ex-wife are raising a daughter. He treats the baby very kindly and hopes that in the future she will also become an actress.

Konstantin Lavronenko

In parallel with “Liquidation,” Konstantin Lavronenko starred in another project - in the film “Exile” by Andrei Zvyagintsev, for which he received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the only Russian actor to win such an award. The next on the list of successes was the television film “Isaev”, and in 2012 Konstantin Nikolaevich starred in the film “The Three Musketeers”.

In his interviews, the actor often talked about his creative successes, but he preferred not to talk about his personal life. And only recently it became known that in 2012 Lavronenko was in a terrible accident: his car collided with another car. A couple with a little daughter were traveling in it - she died on the spot.

The hardest thing for the actor was not his own injuries, including serious spinal bruises, but the death of an innocent child.

“It’s not my fault: it wasn’t us who crashed, it was us. But I was worried: my friends called constantly, new rumors appeared. I even had to make a statement that people should be left alone,” the artist admitted.

After a rehabilitation course, he returned to work again. Long-hour shifts continue to be difficult for Konstantin Lavronenko, and he often has to use stunt doubles to film stunts.

Vladimir Menshov

The role of Marshal Zhukov in the TV series “Liquidation”, although it was short, is still considered one of the best in Vladimir Menshov’s career and proves that he was not only an outstanding director who won an Oscar, but also an incredibly talented actor.

After “Liquidation,” Menshov continued to act in various projects, both in high and low genres. If he liked the script, he never refused to work, be it a serious drama or a romantic comedy. Often after filming small episodes, Vladimir Menshov insisted that his name not be included in the credits - he did not want to take away his due share of fame from young artists.

Despite his age and health problems, Vladimir Menshov continued to work and planned to make several more films, but in the spring of 2021 he became infected with the coronavirus. The disease was severe, and the director’s body could not cope with it. On June 5, Vladimir Valentinovich passed away - he died in one of the capital’s hospitals.

On September 30, 2022, a monument in the form of a flock of flying swans was unveiled at the artist’s grave at Novodevichy Cemetery. “This was a big deal for our family. An important day. And a great event,” wrote the artist’s daughter Yulia Menshova.

Polina Agureeva

For a short but bright moment, Polina Agureeva also shone in the series “Liquidation”. She played the singer Tonya Tsarko, whom the whole country remembered. Agureeva is proud that Sergei Ursulyak allowed her to perform all the songs in the series herself, and calls the director her guardian angel who opened the world of cinema to her.

As the actress admits, modesty prevented her from truly becoming famous. She refused some roles only because she thought she couldn’t pull them off. It is not surprising that in the end such tactics did not lead to anything good.

Now Agureeva is mostly remembered only for “Liquidation,” and she is rarely offered new roles. But the actress achieved great success on stage: in 2009 she won the Golden Mask and now continues to play in theaters.

But the actress is not upset and devotes all her free time to her family. In 2013, she married actor Fyodor Malyshev and is raising a son with him.

Svetlana Kryuchkova

The last few years have been difficult for another “Liquidation” star, Svetlana Kryuchkova. In 2015, doctors discovered she had cancer, quite by accident. The actress said that her cat constantly lay on her in the same place, and a few months later the actress began to experience pain there. The diagnosis was disappointing - a tumor that required urgent surgery.