Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Russian Mafia
Russian Mafia
History
Origins
The Russian mafia can be traced back to Russia's imperial period, which began in the 1700s, in the
form of banditry and thievery. Most of the population were peasants in poverty at the time, and
criminals who stole from government entities and divided profits among the people earned Robin
Hood-like status, being viewed as protectors of the poor and becoming folk heroes. In time, the
Vorovskoy Mir (Thieves' World) emerged as these criminals grouped and started their own code of
conduct that was based on strict loyalty with one another and opposition against the government. When
the Bolshevik Revolution came around in 1917, the Thieves' World was alive and active. Vladimir
Lenin attempted to wipe them out after being robbed by a gang of highwaymen (who also performed an
attempted rape), but failed[clarification needed], and the criminals survived into Joseph Stalin's reign.
[7]
country, with the government ignoring them, and the black market thrived.[citation needed] Then, in
the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev loosened up restrictions on private businesses, allowing them to grow
legally, but by then, the Soviet Union was already beginning to collapse.[4][7]
Also during the 1970s and 1980s, the United States expanded its immigration policies, allowing Soviet
Jews, with most settling in a southern Brooklyn area known as Brighton Beach (sometimes nicknamed
as "Little Odessa"). Here is where Russian organized crime began in the US.[4][8] The earliest known
case of Russian crime in the area was in the mid-1970s by the "Potato Bag Gang," a group of con
artists disguised as merchants that told customers that they were selling antique gold rubles for cheap,
but in fact, gave them bags of potatoes when bought in thousands. By 1983, the head of Russian
organized crime in Brighton Beach was Evsei Agron.[9]
Pauol Mirzoyan was a prime target among other mobsters including rival Boris Goldberg and his
organization,[10] and in May 1985 Agron was assassinated. Boris "Biba" Nayfeld, his bodyguard,
moved on to employ under Marat Balagula, who was believed to have succeeded Agron's authority. In
the following year, Balagula fled the country after he was convicted in a fraud scheme of Merrill Lynch
customers, and was found in Frankfurt, West Germany in 1989, where he was extradited back to the US
and sentenced to eight years in prison.[9]
Balagula would later be convicted on a separate $360,000 credit card fraud in 1992.[11] Nayfield took
Balagula's place, partnering with the "Polish Al Capone", Ricardo Fanchiniin, in an import-export
business and setting up a heroin business.[12] In 1990, his former friend, Monya Elson, back from a
six-year prison sentence in Israel, returned to America and set up a rival heroin business, culminating in
a Mafia turf war.[13]
2001present
As the 21st century dawned, the Russian mafia remained alive and well[citation needed]. New Mafia
bosses sprung up, while imprisoned ones were released. Among the released were Johanithan Pochival
Slokavich[who?], Marat Balagula and Vyacheslav Ivankov, all three in 2004.[23][24] The latter was
extradited to Russia, but was jailed once more for his alleged murders of two Turks in a Moscow
restaurant in 1992; he was cleared of all charges and released in 2005. Four years later, he was
assassinated by a shot in the stomach from a sniper.[24] Meanwhile, Monya Elson, along with Leonid
Roytman, were arrested in March 2006 for an unsuccessful murder plot against two Kiev-based
businessmen.[25]
In 2009, FBI agents in Moscow targeted[clarification needed] two suspected Mafia leaders and two
other corrupt businessmen. One of the leaders is Yevgeny Dvoskin, a criminal who had been in prison
with Ivankov in 1995 and was deported in 2001 for breaking immigration regulations; the other is
Konstantin "Gizya" Ginzburg, who is reportedly the current "big boss" of Russian organized crime in
America after it was suspected that Ivankov handed over his control to him.[26][27] Some facts state
that Sheaib was present in Eastern Europe right before the death of Vyacheslav Ivankov as well as
Aslan Usoyan.
In the same year, Semion Mogilevich was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for his
involvement in a complex multi-million dollar scheme that defrauded investors in the stock of his
company YBM Magnex International, swindling them out of $150 million.[28] He was indicted in
2003 and arrested in 2008 in Russia on account of tax fraud charges, but because the US does not have
an extradition treaty with Russia, he was released on bail.[29] Monya Elson stated that "[h]e's the most
powerful mobster in the world" in 1998.[30]
Around the world, Russian mafia groups have popped up as dominating particular areas: Alec Simchuk
and his group ripped-off and robbed unsuspecting tourists and businessmen in South Florida, leading to
Rick Brodsky of the FBI to say that "Eurasian organised crime is our no. 1 priority";[31] Russian
organized crime has a small hold in the city of Atlanta where members are distinguished by a spade
with a 3 under it tattooed on their body. Russian organized crime was reported to have a stronger grip
in the French Riviera region and Spain in 2010;[6] and Russia was branded as a virtual "mafia state"
according to the WikiLeaks cables.[32] The Jewish branch of the Russian mafia[clarification needed]
has created tremendous problems for the Israeli government. There has been a large increase in
criminal activity in Israel due to the large influx of Russian-Jews. The Israeli police and intelligence
services have focused their resources on the Palestinians and have not paid adequate attention to this
growing problem. The Russian Jewish mafia has cooperated with Israeli mafiosi[who?].[33]
As of 2009, Russian mafia groups have been said to reach over 50 countries and, as of 2010, have up to
300,000 members.[1][8]
In the Russian Mafia to become a "Vor" (plural: Vory) (a Thief) is an honorary title meaning to become
a made man. The honor of becoming a Vor is only given when the recruit shows considerable
leadership skills, personal ability, intellect and charisma. A Pakhan or another high-ranking member of
an organization can decide if the recruit will receive such title. When you become a member amongst
the Vor-world you have to accept the code Vor v Zakone or Thief inside the Law (compare to outlaws).
[36][37]
Although most Russian criminal groups vary in their structure, there have been attempts at trying to
figure out a model in how they work. One such model, which could be possibly out-dated structure, as
it is based on the old style of Soviet criminal enterprises, works out like the following:
1. Elite group led by a Pakhan who is involved in management, organization and ideology. This
is the highest group controls both support group and security group.
2. Security group is led by one of his spies. His job is to make sure the organization keeps
running and also keeps the peace between the organizations and other criminal groups and also
paying off the right people. This group works with the Elite group and is equal in power with
the Support groups. Is in charge of security and in intelligence.
3. Support group is led by one of his spies. His job is to watch over the working unit collecting
the money while supervising their criminal activities. This group works with the elite group and
is equal in power with the Security group. They plan a specific crime for a specialized group or
choose who carries out the operation.
4. Working Unit There are four Brigadiers running a criminal activity in the working unit. Each
Brigade is controlled by a Brigadier. This is the lowest group working with only the Support
group. The group is involved in burglars, thieves, prostitution, extortion, street gangs and other
crimes.
business is often tied with that of the Solntsevskaya Bratva and the Vyacheslav Ivankov
Organization. Aleksey Anatolyevich Lugovcov is the second-in-command, and Vitaly
Borisovich Savalovsky is the "underboss" to Mogilevich.[53]
The Uralmash gang of Yekaterinburg.
The Mkhedrioni was a paramilitary group involved in organised crime[citation needed] led by a
Thief in law Jaba Ioseliani in Georgia in 1990s.
Armenian Power, or AP-13, is a California-based crime syndicate tied to Russian and Armenian
organised crime.
The city of Kazan was known for its gang culture, which later progressed into more organised,
mafia-esque groups. This was known as the Kazan phenomenon.
In popular culture
The 1994 film Little Odessa, the Russian mafia of New York is the subject.
The 1997 Russian cult film Brother tells a story of a young mobster with a strong sence of
loyalty in the 1990s St. Petersburg. It spawned a 2000 sequel, Brother 2, which takes place in
Moscow and the United States.
The 1997 film Jungle 2 Jungle features a Russian mafia in New York City run by Alexei
Jovanovic (David Ogden Stiers).
The 1998 film Rounders prominently features members of the Russian mafia.
The popular Russian TV mini-series Brigada, aired in 2002, depicted a group of underdogs
rising the crime ladder to become oligarchs in the 1990s Moscow.
The 2002 Russian film Tycoon shows the rise of a Russian oligarch from the Gorbachev era in
the late '80s, to absolute power in the Yeltsin era in the '90s.
The 2002 film Half Past Dead has a Russian car thief as the main chacter.
The 2003 Russian film Bimmer is road movie about four friends who get into trouble with the
law and flee Moscow in a black BMW. As the men drive across the Russian expanse, they
encounter corruption, violence, poverty, and various situations characterizing the bleakness and
challenges of small-town life in post-Soviet Russia. A sequel was released in 2006.
The 2005 Russian film Dead Man's Bluff is a dark comedy portraying young mobsters in the
1990s Nizhny Novgorod.
The 2007 film Eastern Promises, subject of which is the Russian mafia in London.
In the 2008 Grand Theft Auto IV video game, the main protagonist is allied with and later rivals
against a Russian mafia gang. The Russian mafia also appears in Grand Theft Auto 2. Also in
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas one of the missions involves Big Smoke taking CJ down to a
Hotel in Los Santos where they meet up with a group of Russian mobsters.
The final episodes of the Law & Order Season 9 (199899) center around the Russian mafia in
Manhattan and their attempts to sabotage prosecution.
In the film Training Day, Denzel Washington's character is trying to pay a ransom of money for
his life after he assaulted a member of the Russian mafia in Las Vegas.
In the HBO Series "Oz (tv series)", the Russian mafia was represented by Jewish-Russian Mafia
member Nikolai Stanislofsky and by Cossack hitman Yuri Kosygin. Kosygin is described in the
show as "the most ruthless hitman in Little Odessa".
In The Sopranos, there were many references and interactions with the Russian mafia.
The Japanese manga and anime series "Black Lagoon" prominently features the Russian mafia.
The Bratva has a recurring role in the CW TV series Arrow. Oliver Queen has contacts in the
organization who he uses to locate criminals.
The 2012 indie game Hotline Miami features the Russian mafia as the main antagonists.
In Orange Is the New Black, set in a federal women's prison, Galina "Red" Reznikova (a main
character; played by Kate Mulgrew) is in the prison for her involvement with the Russian mafia
in Queens.
In The Jackal, a Russian mob boss hires the titular assassin to avenge the death of his brother.
The film adaptation of The Equalizer features the Russian mafia as the primary antagonists.
Gotham features a Russian mafia family formerly allied to Sicilian gangster Carmine Falcone,
but later turns against him with the black mob as allies.
See also
Russia portal
Crime portal
References
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