Russian Mob

Extracted Attributes

• Origin

  Russia, former Soviet Union

• Leadership

  Vori v Zakone ("Thieves in Law")

• Composition

  Includes ex-KGB officers, former special forces, government officers, and individuals from various former Soviet republics (e.g., Armenians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Chechens, Dagestanis, Georgians)

• US Headquarters

  Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, United States

• Alternative Names

  bratva, Organized Criminal Groups (OPGs), Red Mafiya, Organizatsya, Bor, Brotherhood

• Primary Activities

  Illicit goods trade (e.g., Afghan heroin), drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, computer crime, electronic balance fraud, insurance fraud, pimping, narcotics, loan sharking, racketeering, money laundering (real estate, shell companies, offshore accounts), corruption of officials, high-stakes underground poker

• Key Characteristics

  Highly organized, global criminal network, quasi-military operations, skilled intermediaries, decentralized, cell-like structure, transnational reach, ruthless

• Relationship with Russian State

  Shifted from intertwined associations in the 1990s to a pragmatic approach where the state leverages their capabilities as a geopolitical tool, sets boundaries, and occasionally enlists their services

• Expert Description (Mark Galeotti)

  Highly organized and global criminal network

• Criminologist Description (Alain Bauer)

  One of the best structured criminal organizations in Europe, with a quasi-military operation

• Largest Ethnically Based Crime Group in US

  Yes (according to Anthony Colannino, Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County)

Timeline

• Emerged and expanded significantly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with criminals seeking to establish themselves on the international stage. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1990s

• Activities initially focused on the illicit trade of goods, such as Afghan heroin, transported across Europe. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1990s

• Political elite and organized crime were more intertwined in Russia. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1990s

• Timur Lakhonin, head of Interpol's National Central Bureau in Russia, stated no data suggested an organized structure of former Russian criminal groups existed abroad. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2009-12

• Alain Bauer, a French criminologist, described the Russian mafia as one of Europe's best-structured criminal organizations with quasi-military operations. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2010-08

• Evolved into skilled intermediaries, adapting to local markets and focusing on providing services rather than controlling territories. (Source: Wikipedia)

  Present Day

• The Russian state attempts to distance itself from direct associations with criminal groups while still utilizing them when necessary, reflecting a pragmatic approach. (Source: Wikipedia)

  Present Day

• Involved in high-stakes poker enterprises in New York City, specifically associated with Brighton Beach operations, and engaged in a violent shakedown by the Italian mob against Molly Bloom. (Source: Molly’s Game Uncensored: The Truth Behind the World’s Most Infamous Poker Game)

  Undated

Russian mafia

The Russian mafia (Russian: ру́сская ма́фия, romanized: russkaya mafiya [ˈruskəjə ˈmafʲɪjə] or росси́йская ма́фия, rossiyskaya mafiya [rɐˈsʲijskəjə ˈmafʲɪjə]), also known as bratva (братва́, bratva [brɐtˈva]; lit. 'brothers' clique'), is a collective of various organized crime related elements originating and operating in Russia. Any of the mafia's groups may be referred to as an "Organized Criminal Group" (OPG, from Russian "организованная преступная группа"). This is sometimes modified to include a specific name, such as the Orekhovskaya OPG. Sometimes, the Russian word is dropped in favour of a full translation, and OCG is used instead of OPG. In December 2009, Timur Lakhonin, the head of the National Central Bureau of Interpol within Russia, stated that "Certainly, there is crime involving our former compatriots abroad, but there is no data suggesting that an organized structure of criminal groups comprising former Russians exists abroad" on the topic of international Russian criminal gangs. In August 2010, Alain Bauer, a criminologist from France, said that the Russian mafia "is one of the best structured criminal organizations in Europe, with a quasi-military operation" in their international activities. The Russian mafia, according to Mark Galeotti, an expert in modern Russia, is a highly organized and global criminal network that emerged and expanded significantly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. During this time, Russian criminals sought to establish themselves on the international stage, anticipating political instability and economic collapse in Russia. Their activities initially focused on the illicit trade of goods, such as Afghan heroin, which they transported across Europe to sell to local gangs rather than directly selling on the streets. Over the years, Russian gangsters evolved into skilled intermediaries, working alongside other major criminal organizations, adapting to local markets and focusing on providing services rather than attempting to control entire territories. While the Russian mafia remains focused on making money, their relationships with the state have evolved over time. The Russian government has used criminal networks as a geopolitical tool, leveraging their capabilities for state interests. However, Galeotti emphasizes that the connection between the Russian government and organized crime is not one of direct control, but rather a pragmatic approach where the state sets boundaries for these groups and occasionally enlists their services. This reflects a broader shift from the 1990s, when the political elite and organized crime were more intertwined, to the present day, where the state is attempting to distance itself from direct associations with criminal groups while still utilizing them when necessary.

Web Search Results

• Business as Usual: The Rise of the Russian Mafia - Focus Features

  Crime syndicates in the former Soviet Union are known as the Russian mafia or mob or the Red Mafiya. These criminal organizations are ruled by godfathers known as Vori v Zakone ("Thieves in Law"). But the Kremlin, which battles the public perception that the term "Russian mafia" is a tautology, simply prefers to call it "the so-called Russian mafia." [...] "The Russian mafia includes ex-KGB officers, former special forces and government officers. They're very good at computer crime, electronic balance fraud, insurance fraud, pimping, narcotics, loan sharking, racketeering. . . . Unlike the old Italian mob, who would send flowers to your wife after they'd killed you, they'll kill you, your wife, your children, your uncle, your cousins, your neighbors. They're bloody ruthless, they really are." [...] With easy emigration to Western Europe, Israel (where anyone who claimed Jewish ancestry could get a passport) and the United States, the Russian mob soon established outposts in Germany, London, Israel and the United States, where they set up headquarters in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Anthony Colannino, deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, maintains that gangsters from the former Soviet Union are now the largest ethnically based crime group in the United States. He told the Guardian

• [PDF] RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES By James O

  criminals in the U.S. are Armenians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and persons from the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union (Chechens, Dagestanis, and Georgians). The media and law enforcement call these groups various names - Russian mafia, Russian mob, Organizatsya, Bor, Bratva, etc. Some of the group names refer to geographical locations in Russia -Izmailovskaya, Dagestantsy, Kazanskaya, and Solntsenskaya. The latter are indicative of the local geographically defined roots of some Russian

• Russian mafia - Wikipedia

  The term "Russian mafia" is a general label used to describe a broad and complex network of organized crime groups that originated in Russia and other former Soviet republics. While this term is widely recognized in both public discourse and media portrayals, particularly in the Western world, it does not reflect the nuanced internal classifications and terminology employed within these criminal structures or by law enforcement and criminologists. In summary, "Russian Mafia" is a convenient [...] Initially operating only within Russia and soon after in other countries of the former Soviet Union, some of the Russian criminal organizations quickly expanded their reach in the 1990s. Taking advantage of open borders and the increasing globalization of markets, they extended their operations beyond the former Soviet republics, establishing strongholds in Western European countries such as United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, as well as in Hungary and Israel and Czech Republic. [...] Groups based in other parts of Russia and the former Soviet Union:

• Russian Organized Crime Groups and Structure in Russia

  | | | --- | [...] | | | --- | [...] | | | --- |

• From Gulags to Global Power: The Story of the Russian Mafia

  syndicates, Russian mobsters favored sophistication over brute force: they laundered money through real estate, used shell companies and offshore accounts, and corrupted local officials with bribes instead of bullets. [...] wealthy and internationally dangerous. With a decentralized, cell-like structure and transnational reach, the Bratva’s involvement in the illegal trade of drugs and weapons is not only a criminal matter it is a geopolitical force shaping conflict zones and narco-trafficking routes worldwide. The major figure in uncovering the web of secrecy that surrounds the Russian mafia was a journalist named Robert I. Friedman. Friedman’s work “Red Mafiya: How the Russian Mob Has Invaded America” is [...] The Russian Mafia, colloquially known as the "Bratva" or "Brotherhood," has emerged as one of the most feared and sophisticated organized crime syndicates in the world. Originating from the Soviet gulag system and later evolving through the cracks of the collapsing USSR, the Bratva has gone from domestic crime rings to global criminal conglomerates. Today, it stands as a central player in the global black markets of narcotics and arms two sectors that have made the syndicate both immensely