Russian Organised Crime - Essay Example

Russian Mafia Introduction The current crimes faced by the world of today are cared out by organized criminal groups. This organized crime has been affecting the economy of some countries in the world. Furthermore, various articles and books (Galeotti, 1998, Van Dijk, 2007, Nicaso, & Lamothe, 2010, and Paoli, 2001) identified Russian mafias as one of the known groups of organized crime that is very powerful (Prevda, 2011). For good understanding of the Russian Mafia, this paper is going to talk of how the Russian Mafias came into being and if it still exists in the world of today. The Russian Mafia can be linked with the imperial period of Russia, which started in the 1700s. Most of the Russian populations at that time were very poor people. During that time, the criminals who stole from the government resources and shared the profits with the poor were regarded as heroes and were seen as protectors of the community (Gleason, 2009). The term Russia Mafia is a phrase used by most people to refer to a collection of various criminals that are organized and are originate in the previous Soviet Union. Most of these groups share a similar organization structure and goals that identify them as part of the association. They have also been given names like Bratva, Organizatsiya, or the Red Mafia. In the world of today, more than 6,000 different groups that are existing, and more than 200 of these groups are operating globally (Niklaus, 2014). For an organized crime syndicate that is powerful, there was the integration of two USSR characteristic. There was present of a bureaucratic power that was excessive and an illegal market that was present. The bureaucratic excessive power encouraged organized crime by availing an environment for bribery, corruption, extortion and shakedown. According to the Soviet Ministry of Interior All- Union Research Institution in 1991 (Ruth, n.d), bribes were part of the salary of almost half the population of the entire government employees. However, the existence of a market that was illegal was the basis of the presence of the Mafia in the Soviet Union. Most people know that a market that is illegal, like alcohol during the period of prohibition or elicit organized crime of drugs today, yet this connection was distinctive in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, any business form that was not approved by the government was associated with a market that was illegal. This strengthened the criminal growth in the USSR. Also, the government was not able to provide the basic products to the citizens hence making a high demand on anything and everything. However, some of these basic things were availed to the people by the organized crime hence making it be the main player in the Soviet society (Ruth, n.d). The main breeder of the corruption in the Soviet Union was largely the economies run by the states that deprived the citizens of t5he basic commodities. Small entrepreneur groups rose to provide the goods that were not available therefore giving birth to the black market. During the period of transition to the Federation of Russia, organized crime got an opportunity to provide the region with reforms. Than the line between the underworlds criminal and business world significantly became more indistinct (Ruth, n.d). The main crime that was performed by the Russian Mafias during the former Union was majorly money laundering. These mainly involve wire transfer of a large amount of money ranging from thousands of dollars to millions of dollars. These were mainly from banks accounts that were located in Cayman Islands, Finland, and Europe and United States of American banks. This money was mainly obtained from illegal trade in antiques and arms, narcotic activities, and also prostitution. Some of this money was also stolen from the Russian Government. According the Newspaper of Russia in, about 1.5 trillion rubles was acquired from the Government using documents that were forged in the year 1992 to 1993 (Russian Organized Crime, n.d). When a person decides to be one of the gangs in the Russian Mafia, not every other person could join the Vory. Most of the criminals that were interested in joining served apprenticeship years before they were to be approved for inauguration into the fraternity of criminals. The Vor that were existing were the once to recommend the new members and then the inauguration was to take part at a unique Skhodka. At Skhodka, the new recruits are to swear a brotherhood loyalty oath. After the inauguration, the name of the novice was to be changed. Because the new criminal nickname was to prove that the recruit had decided to start his or her new criminal life and to live his old life behind (Varese, 1998). There were very strict rules that were stipulated to the members of the Vory which they had to abide to. The codes that were provided bonded the criminals together and provided basic values for them to follow. This also included the material and moral support for other groups of their family that was composed of criminals. There was server punishment for any thief who broke the code. Those who broke the code will automatically be labeled as Suka and casted out as traitors, and they end up being executed. In case of a conflict between the Vory members, these conflicts will be determined at a Skhodka. The code also states that a Vor must survive on the profits he or she makes the criminal act, and he or she is not allowed to work. Vor were allowed to gamble, and they were to honor any debts and always have the resources debts. According to their custom, if a criminal has gambled all the money that he or she has and wanted to proceed with the playing, he or she was allowed to bet other limbs or fingers, mutilating his or her self in the process of the game and then proceeding with the game (Galeotti, 2002). After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian organized crime a much slit transition to the initiated semi-market economy. This was mainly linked to two factors. The first factor was the people of Soviet were indoctrinated to the thought that properties that are private had an association that was illegal. As a result of this reason, most of the Russian observed private property as illegal even after the fall of the Soviet Union. This opinion made people not to see the importance to end it infiltration by the Russian Mafias. Secondly was that the existing black market during the time of USSR created an organized crime social stratum whose elevated economy and connection status is left in post-Soviet Russia. Their status distinction enabled them to have a starting point on the provided new opportunity by the free markets of post-soviet Russia. This degree of difference was the main reason behind the organized crime subsequent growth in post-Soviet Russia (Ruth, n.d). The relationship between the governments can be traced back to the Soviet era when both the government official and the Mafias formed a partnership which protected the profitable black market of the Soviet Union. Regional chiefs of the party became the Mafias own chieftains of the region, feudal overlords of the entire network of criminals. Both the Mafias and the government became one. In 1993, the minister of Russian reported that the government agencies and ministers had close ties with about more than half of the criminal groups of Russia (JBMSIL, 1963). Russian Mafia is becoming a threat to its close connection with the government bureaucracy key sections. It is factual that as the party of communist fame reduced and its powers could not be felt anymore, criminal structures that are organized conventional erupted, and there was a continuation of the relationship between the government and the Mafias. It is approximated that the criminal world of Russia spends fifty percent of what they obtain their income on the officials of the government. At the same time the Russian Government official that are being underpaid look for the groups of criminals to so that they can provide there services and make extra cash. The only way of the fight and stop the existence of the Russian Mafias if by fighting corruption that is in the country. Corruption is what the Mafias feed on and the main source of there wealth and power. When they are deprived of this, they will fall. However, fighting corruption in Russia will take many years for it to be completely eradicated. If corruption is completely eradicated, then the Russian Mafias will automatically come to an end. The Russian mafias of now days are involved in the killing of people they are contracted to kill. This may be supported by various reports of people like Lil Phat and entertainment rapper who are believed to have been killed by a contracted Mafia. This incident happened when the rapper seated on the deck of the parking of North Atlanta Hospital anticipating his childs birth when he was severally shot (Mafia Today, 2003). In a different incident is the death of Scot Young, who had fallen from his fourth story flat that is in London. His death is linked to the Turkish and Russian mafia of whom he owed millions of dollars. Some two years ago, some gangsters hung him out of the hotel window (The Telegraph, 2014). Apart from assassinations, Mafias are also involved in running of the poker racket. This Russian crime that is organized includes high stake game of poker that is illegal. These poker games are mainly played with people who are famous and rich. However, sometimes the Mafias threatens the players of violence to ensure that they settle there debts (Mafia Today, 2003). Some of the organized crimes that exist today include the Mafias who are operating in Canada. Also, are the Toronto mafias, Montreal Mafia, apart from the Mafias we have the Biker Gangs such as the rock machine, Hells Angles, Satans Choice, and Outlaws. The Russian Mafias still exists in the current world of today, and all the efforts to end it have not been successful. Although these efforts have managed to reduce the strength of the currently organized criminal, there seems to be less different from the organized criminal of today and that of the old. Some of the factors that have contributed to reducing the strength of the current Mafias are Putins tight group of previous officers of KGB. Also, the law enforcement agenesis is now more powerful than any other existing Mafia. Racketeering and extortion are currently largely the tax turf policies of economic- crime and inspectors. In short, the Mafias have not been completely eradicated. They have just been forced to split the market with some of the protection peddlers. Although they are now less visible as compared to the old time, they are still well connected and wealthy (Leonid, 2013). Conclusion The existence of the Russian Mafias was as a result of poverty that was being experienced in the country. However, the corruption experienced in the country is, and the loopholes in the criminal justice system are what made the organized crime thrive and gain strength in the Russia. The insecurity that existed in the country and the few security personnel is what made the citizen seek for the protection of both their properties and family from the Mafias. Ending Mafia in Russia is very easy. The group has been obtaining and thriving where corruption is high. This is to mean that, the root of this thing called Mafia is corruption. For any tree to be destroyed, the only way is uprooting it by the roots. By this I mean to completely eradicate Mafia in Russia, the government has to have some reforms in its criminal justice system and form an independent commission to deal with the issues related to corruption. The only way to fight the Russian Mafias is by fighting corruption experience in the country. Corruption is directly linked to the Russian Mafia, and its eradication also means that you are also doing away with corruption. Bibliography GALEOTTI, M. (1998). The mafiya and the new Russia. Australian Journal of Politics & History, 44(3), 415-429. GALEOTTI, M. (ED.). (2002). Russian and post-Soviet organized crime. Dartmouth Publishing Company. GLEASON, A. (2009). A companion to Russian history. Chichester, U.K., Wiley-Blackwell. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&A N=274797. JOHN BASSETT MOORE SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW(JBMSIL). (1963). Virginia journal of international law. Charlottesville, Virginia Journal of International Law Association. LEONID BERSHIDSKY, (2013). The Russian Mafia Is Dead. Or Is It? Web < http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-01-18/the-russian-mafia-is-dead-or-is-it-> accessed May 27, 2015. MAFIA TODAY, (2003). Your Source for Mafia & Crime News from around the World. 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