Essay on Russian Organized Crime
Russian organized crime has been analyzed by experts, including international law enforcement agencies and intelligence specialists, in order to better understand its roots, nature and causes of this phenomenon. According to Patricia Rawlinson (2014), “Cold War ideologists see its proliferation as a vindication of their struggle against the evil empire of communism manifested by endemic corruption, a failed centralize economy and totalitarianism”(p. 28). Some experts consider that Russian organized crime is the product of political and economic reforms carried out by Gorbachev in the late 1990s (Rawlinson, 2014). In general, Russian organized crime can be assessed by means of another ideological approach, namely the establishment of the Mafia (McCormick, 2012). Today many Russian criminal organizations operate on the global stage, influencing criminal situation in many countries of the world. Thesis statement: Russian organized crime, a complex post-socialist phenomenon, the nature of which is associated with political and economic changes in the country, creates certain challenges to democracy.
Organized crime: an overview of the phenomenon
The term “organized crime” can be defined as “the society that seeks to operate outside the control of the people and their governments”(Rawlinson, 2014, p. 32). According to researchers, organized crime as a phenomenon has the following characteristics: well-developed hierarchical structure, the availability of financial resources for performing tasks, labor division, the system of strict discipline and punishment. Actually, organized crime exists in any country because it is driven by economic concerns. Jay S. Albanese (2010) states that “organized crime activity” operates based on certain economic factors faced by individuals or organizations (p. 115).
The Nature of Russian Organized Crime
The most important development in organized crime in Russia is the emergence of the Russian mafia in the 1990s. According to statistical data, the number of gangs in Russia has been increased from 785 in the early 1990s to more than 8000 in late 1990s (Dunn, 2014, p. 63). As a result, the nature of Russian organized crime is based on interaction of organized crime activities and the prevailing culture. The history of organized crime in Russia highlights the significance of changing nature of this interaction because of considerable changes in political life of the country (Rawlinson, 2014).
As a matter of fact, Russian organized crime is considered to be a post-communism phenomenon, which is similar to the phenomena in other states of the former USSR. It was influenced by the transformation of economic and political systems from socialist structure to capitalist structure (Plekhanov, 2004; McCormick, 2012). Many experts consider that Russian organized crime is the product of the established communist system, which limited democracy and promoted bureaucracy. In fact, “the communist system generated organized crime by seeking to supplant market mechanisms with bureaucratic command and instituting criminal penalties for most private entrepreneurial activities” (Plekhanov, 2004, p. 66).
The Major Causes of Organized Crime in Russia
The major causes of organized crime in Russia include the spread of corruption and the “worldwide proliferation of organized crime” (Plekhanov, 2004, p. 66). Although Putin managed to reduce the influence of rich businessmen on politics, Russia is ranked 154 out of 178 countries in the list on the Corruption Perceptions Index (McCormick, 2012). Besides, the rapid expansion of the market system had a strong impact on the growth of organized crime. Researchers believe that Russian organized crime is caused by a wide range of factors that are generated by political transformation in the country and failures in the functioning of the justice system. According to John McCormick (2012), “Russia still has a large black market, reducing the ability of the government to raise taxes and playing into the hands or organized crime, which is involved in everything from extortion to fraud, cargo theft, prostitution, and drug and arms trafficking” (p. 240). In other words, the justice system is ineffective to address the issue of the increased rate of organized crime in Russia. As a result, organized crime is growing. According to statistical data, “Russia now has one of the highest homicide rates in the world”(McCormick, 2012, p. 240).
Some Facts from the History of Russian Organized Crime
The emergence of Russian organized crime and its growth in the past decades influenced society. In the Soviet Union, organized crime was based on the established system of relationships between various sectors of society, in which the Communist party had the greatest power. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the evolution of organized crime (Abadinsky, 2012; McCormick, 2012). Considerable changes in economic, political and cultural systems had a strong impact on the expansion of organized crime in Russia. The transition to the market economy led to the emergence of criminal organizations. According to Howard Abadinsky (2012), “vulnerable businessmen began relying on the suddenly increasing private protection services, a large number of which operated without the proper registration or licenses”(p. 209).
Actually, due to the penetration of organized crime into the legal system, more and more unlawful acts were identified in Russia. Today organized crime affects the functioning of legal system. Although corruption is prosecuted, many officials continue to take a bribe. According to researchers, today organized crime has “penetrated all the structures of power, including the media” (Rawlinson, 2014, p. 32). Russian organized crime in the USA is characterized by the existence of the traditional Russian approaches to criminal activity. The case of Ivankov (Yaponchik), a well-known leader of a criminal organization in the United States, attracts attention due to the methods used in organization of criminal activities (Finckenauer & Waring, 1998). He was born in the Soviet Union. He became the champion in wrestling, lived in Moscow. Later, he was involved in criminal activity, selling the stolen goods on the black market. In 1980, he established his criminal organization. The members of his groups used false documents to commit financial crimes (Finckenauer & Waring, 1998). They searched the houses of rich people and stole money. In 1982, Yaponchik was arrested. After release in 1992, he came to the USA, where he continued his criminal activity. According to FBI reports, Yaponchik managed to “turn an assortment of unruly and loosely articulated Russian gangs on American soil into a modern, nationwide crime cooperation” (Finckenauer & Waring, 1998, p. 113). He was sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment.
The major categories of Russian Organized Crime
Analyzing Russian organized crime, it is necessary to identify its major categories. Joseph L. Albini and colleagues classify the four major categories of organized crime in Russia:
- political-social;
- mercenary;
- in-group;
- syndicated (Albini, 1995, p. 213).
The first three classifications of organized crime emerged during the Soviet era, namely during the Breznev years with high level of corruption (1964–82), increased during Perestroika era, and reached the highest levels after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (McCormick, 2012). The forth category was established because of the “transformation of the Russian society from a centralized command economy to one driven by the forces of market capitalism that created the socio-pathological conditions for the malignant spread of mercenary and especially syndicated organized crime” (Albini, 1995, p. 213). In other words, the forth category includes new syndicates of criminals that involve criminal gangs with the former members of the Soviet Union’s bureaucracy.
The Prosecution of Organized Crime in Russia
Organized crime in Russia is prosecuted, but there are still many gaps in the legal system to address this issue in a proper way. According to researchers, in 1990s, there was “no definition of organized crime in Russian law” (Finckenauer & Waring, 1998, p. 116). Today the Department for struggle against organized crime is involved in active work to deal with the existing problems caused by organized crime. The members of the Department examine the functioning of business organizations to prosecute people involved in organized crime. There are many examples of illegal economic and financial activities of powerful officials. The widespread corruption forms the basis of organized crime in Russia today (Taylor, 2011, p. 169).
Actually, today Russian organized crime is linked to the power of ministries in many ways. For example, many military officers are involved in criminal activity because they have the required skills and experience. New mafia groups include sportsmen and former military and law enforcement officers who effectively deal with criminals and continue to “maintain contacts with their colleagues in the security and law enforcement structures” (Taylor, 2011, p. 169). Putin highlights the necessity to combat organized crime and the shadow economy it creates. However, his legislative policies are ineffective. Some experts consider that there is a balance between organized crime and the state. In other words, the state favors this balance because this crime is manageable based on Russian standards (Taylor, 2011).
Conclusion
Thus, it is necessary to conclude that Russian organized crime is a complex phenomenon caused by a wide range of social and political factors, including the collapse of the Soviet Union, the increased rate of corruption and the growth of the market economy. In fact, Russian organized crime differs from American organized crime. It is influenced by bureaucracy and lacks democracy. Many mafia organizations operate on the global stage, including Russian criminal organizations. Generally speaking, Russian organized crime is prosecuted, but the prosecution of this type of crime in Russia represents a failure of many policies aimed at preventing criminal acts. It is necessary to use joint actions to prevent organized crime, especially today, when crime has become international. In Russia, the justice system is not effective enough to address the issue of the increased rate of organized crime.
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