Maxim "Mark" Sirenko is a career criminal who murdered Ava Marchenko and committed a terrorist bombing at a hotel, all under the orders of Daniel Rublev.
Background[]
Sirenko was from Chechnya, a republic of Russia. As an adult, he came to the U.S. and founded a popular nightclub in New York City, which became a front for his own criminal organization. The organization was engaged in the trafficking of young girls for prostitution, as well as drug trafficking and extortion. Through this organization, Sirenko established many domestic and international contacts, one of which was a former Russian general named Daniel Rublev, who in turn had many powerful friends within the Russian government, including President Vladimir Putin. As a result, Sirenko believed he could never turn down a request from Rublev, knowing that doing so would be at the cost of his own life.
Eventually, Rublev convinced Sirenko to plan a terrorist attack at a downtown Manhattan hotel hosting a NATO conference on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Six months ago, Sirenko's organization made plans to enter the illegal fentanyl trade. This put him in the crosshairs of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, which launched an investigation into him and his organization; the investigation was led by Detective Elliot Stabler and aided by a confidential informant named Vincent Lowe. One day, while hosting a sex party on a rental yacht, Sirenko learned from Rublev that one of his sex trafficking victims, Ava Marchenko, had recorded him telling her about the terrorist plot and then escaped from the yacht. Rublev then ordered Sirenko to hunt Ava down and kill her to tie up loose ends.
Gimme Shelter[]
Acting on Rublev's orders, Sirenko, donning a face-mask and a cap as a quick disguise, chases Ava down and shoots her dead in front of Detective Cosgrove and other witnesses after she is accidentally hit by a car. Cosgrove pursues him on foot but loses him after they are separated by a passing bus. The Homicide Squad retraces Ava's steps and finds the rental yacht that Sirenko used. He is later visited by Cosgrove and Detective Shaw, who question him about Ava. Sirenko denies knowing anything about Ava, causing Cosgrove to angrily threaten him before the detectives leave. Afterwards, Cosgrove and Shaw find out about the Organized Crime Control Bureau's investigation into Sirenko. Vincent clones Sirenko's phone during an undercover operation and is nearly caught by Sirenko, who briefly strangles him but releases him after Vincent apologizes and promises to leave. Vincent's efforts allow Cosgrove, Shaw, Stabler, and Slootmaekers to find evidence that Sirenko was indeed with Ava on the yacht before she was murdered. (OC: "Gimme Shelter")
Sirenko is later identified as Ava's killer by another one of his trafficking victims, Nicole Merrick, who was on the ship with him, Ava, and Rublev when Ava escaped. The Special Victims Unit, Organized Crime Control Bureau, and Homicide Squad raid Sirenko's house and find bomb-making materials, which results in the Joint Terrorism Task Force getting involved. The three squads then attempt to arrange an undercover sting with Vincent's help. Instead, Sirenko, already believing Vincent to be a loose end due to the police interrogating his associates, murders him before an arrest could be made. He then escapes and plants the bomb at the hotel. The three squads and numerous NYPD officers learn about the target after finding a hotel employee who had been blackmailed by Sirenko into giving him access. They try to evacuate the hotel, but the bomb goes off before the building could be completely cleared, killing three people. During the chaos, Sirenko assaults Cosgrove and tries to escape, but the detectives quickly corner him in a clothing store, where he takes several hostages. After a brief standoff, Sirenko attempts to escape by blending in with the escaping hostages, but he gets into a fistfight with Stabler, who incapacitates him. Stabler, who was traumatized by Vincent's murder, then taunts Sirenko into trying to reach for his fallen gun. However, Cosgrove stops him before the confrontation could escalate further, and Sirenko is taken into custody. (SVU: "Gimme Shelter")
When the connection is made between Rublev and the hotel bombing, EADA Price makes a plea deal with Sirenko, agreeing to drop the first-degree murder and domestic terrorism charges in exchange for second-degree murder charges and a sentence of 20 years with the possibility of parole, provided that Sirenko testifies against Rublev. Sirenko does so, but the trial ends prematurely when Rublev is shot and killed in an apparent assassination. Despite this, the plea deal with Sirenko still stands, which disgusts all of the detectives and attorneys involved in the case. (L&O: "Gimme Shelter")
Known Victims[]
- Unknown dates and locations:
- An unspecified aggravated assault
- An unspecified armed robbery
- Numerous unnamed girls (all trafficked for sex)
- Unknown dates, New York City, New York:
- Nicole Merrick (kidnapped and trafficked for sex; was rescued in September 2022)
- Ava Marchenko (kidnapped and trafficked for sex; later shot twice in the collar and head in September 2022 after she tried to escape)
- September 2022, New York City, New York:
- Vincent Lowe (assaulted; manually strangled)
- The attempted undercover sting:
- Vincent Lowe (beaten and shot twice)
- Detective Elliot Stabler (assaulted; shot at repeatedly, but missed)
- The hotel van bombing:
- Three unnamed hotel employees (all killed)
- 546 unnamed hotel guests and employees (attempted to murder)
- Detective Frank Cosgrove (attempted to murder; later assaulted and shot at during his escape)
- Detective Jalen Shaw (attempted to murder)
- Detective Elliot Stabler (attempted to murder)
- Captain Olivia Benson (attempted to murder)
- Detective Amanda Rollins (attempted to murder)
- Numerous unnamed police officers (attempted to murder)
- The clothing store standoff:
- An unnamed woman (kidnapped from outside and held hostage; was rescued)
- Numerous unnamed employees and customers (all held hostage)
- Detective Elliot Stabler (assaulted)
Appearances[]
- Law & Order: Organized Crime (1 season, 1 episode):
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 season, 1 episode):
- Law & Order (1 season, 1 episode):