The Russian Mafia

Organized Criminals Fill a Power Vacuum

Russia's rocky shift from communism to capitalism in the early 1990s created a climate in which organized criminals thrived. For starters, the end of the planned economy created instant property owners, and those new capitalists suddenly had to worry about having their property robbed, pilfered, swindled or otherwise taken against their will. Fueling this fear was the chaos that followed the Soviet Union's collapse. Public safety plummeted. The number of recorded crimes in Russia increased 70.2% from 1989 to 1995; in the city of Perm, east of Moscow, crime climbed 113.4% in the same period.

As Russia changed and society staggered, people lacked recourse from threats. During the Soviet era, the state monopolized public protection. At the same time, communism bred widespread distrust among Soviet citizens. Every Russian viewed every neighbor as a potential spy or informant. When communism collapsed, a fractured society followed and the state could no longer protect its citizens, nor did it. Russians had little choice but to turn to private protection rackets to ensure their property rights. People saw the courts as a glacial, ...