25.09.2007 - Source: Freedom House

Crime is persistent problem in post-Soviet Russia and has jumped dramatically from 2004 onward; robbery and drug smuggling have been particular areas of growth; individual security is in serious question ("Countries at the Crossroads 2007") [ID 21394]

"Crime is a persistent problem in post-Soviet Russia. According to the country’s statistics agency (Roskomstat), crime has increased steadily since 1990, jumping rather dramatically from 2004 onward. Murder rates have remained relatively steady at over 30,000 per year since the mid-1990s, while robbery and drug smuggling have been particular areas of growth. The number of incidents classified as “terrorism” has increased since 2000, with spikes occurring in 2002 and 2003.16 Individual security in Russia today, therefore, is in serious question. This is particularly true of women and children, for whom sex trafficking into Asia and Central and Eastern Europe is a severe problem.17 In 2004 it was alleged that 92 percent of all Russian women who leave to work abroad end up forced to work in the sex industry."

Document(s): Open document

22.11.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Moscow: Konstantin Meshcheryakov, owner of small Russian bank, shot dead; third banker to be murdered in 3 months ("Owner Of Russian Bank Shot Dead") [ID 17707]

Document(s): Open document

21.11.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

According to prosecutor-general Yury Chaika, oil and gas industry pervaded by organized crime ("Organized Crime 'Everywhere' In Russian Energy Sector") [ID 17709]

Document(s): Open document

14.11.2006 - Source: BBC News

Moscow: Head of National Oil Institute Fund Magomedov shot dead in apparent contract killing ("Russian oil fund chief shot dead") [ID 17623]

Document(s): Open document

16.10.2006 - Source: BBC News

Prosecutors say they have identified suspects in murder of top central bank official Andrei Kozlov, who was shot down on September 13 ("Russian banker's killers 'found'") [ID 17524]

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Time line of killings and attempted killings of journalists, business men and politicians in post-soviet period ("Russia: High-Profile Killings, Attempted Killings In The Post-Soviet Period") [ID 16944]

Document(s): Open document

14.09.2006 - Source: Guardian

Central Bank official Andrei Kozlov shot by 2 unidentified gunmen; his killing likely to be linked to his work; contract killings of businessmen and bankers remain regular occurrence, business conflicts often end in violence ("Russian Central Bank official assassinated") [ID 16943]

Document(s): Open document

25.07.2005 - Source: BBC News

3 federal judges convicted of fraud for illegally expropriating more than 100 flats in Moscow region ("Russian judges in property scam") [#34483], [ID 11931]

Document(s): Open document

18.07.2005 - Source: BBC News

Moscow court acquitted Russian criminal boss who was charged with 1992 murder of 2 Turkish nationals ("Russian gangland boss acquitted") [#34160], [ID 11933]

Document(s): Open document

12.07.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Komi: Prosecutors examining terrorism, setting of scores between criminal gangs or hooliganism after attack on shopping centre that killed 24 people ("Russia: Arson Attack On Shopping Center Kills 24") [#34000], [ID 11934]

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

Amendments to the Criminal Code against human trafficking, the use of forced labour, recruitment into prostitution and the distribution of child pornography ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710], [ID 11937]

"241. In December 2003, amendments to the Criminal Code criminalizing human trafficking and the use of forced labour and expanding criminal liability for recruitment into prostitution, organisation of a prostitution business and the distribution of child pornography were enacted. Pursuant to these articles, if certain aggravating factors are established, trafficking and use of slave labour are each punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison, recruitment into prostitution is punishable by a maximum of 8 years, organisation of a prostitution business is punishable by a maximum of 10 years, and the manufacture and distribution of child pornography is punishable by a maximum of 8 years. The amendments to the Criminal Code were the culmination of a year-long effort by legislators, antitrafficking activists, and government and law enforcement officials to enact effective anti-trafficking legislation, which we welcome."

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

New law: Improvements in the anti-money laundering system ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710], [ID 11939]

"234. Russia ratified the European Convention on Laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime (ETS 141) on 28 May 2001 and participates in the MONEYVAL monitoring process137.

235. The main economic or financial crimes which generate large amounts of illegal proceeds are: fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, misappropriation of funds, theft, malfeasance (including bribery), smuggling, counterfeiting, tax evasion, and embezzlement of state funds. The economic loss from such economic crimes was estimated at 51.2 billion RUB in 2001 and 33.9 billion RUB in 2002. Offences committed by organised crime (including drugs-related crimes), offences of corruption and financial/economic crime generate the majority of criminal proceeds, and therefore the largest amount of money laundering.

236. In February 2003 the OECD Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering struck Russia off its blacklist after a new federal law to amend and supplement an acting law against money laundering entered into force in January 2003138. Money laundering is criminalised under Article 174 of the Criminal Code and self or own-funds laundering is addressed in Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code.

237. The second MONEYVAL report on Russia (July 2004) found very significant improvements in the anti-money laundering system in the Russian Federation. The main achievements are the creation of the legislative base to fight money laundering with the passage of Federal Law No. 115, which is fully operational and the setting up of the state system to combat money laundering with the Financial Monitoring Committee of Russia (FMC). The political commitment to improving the anti-money laundering regime is signalled by the allocation of resources to the FMC, which has included provision for large numbers of competent and dedicated personnel, and an impressive IT infrastructure. The FMC is undertaking a major leadership role in developing the co-ordination of the system, both at the working level and at the strategic level. It is building quickly on the anti-money laundering foundations, which were laid by the Central Bank of Russia. The Central Bank continues to remain very active and is currently the second major player in the system.

238. On the repressive side, investigations, prosecutions and convictions for money laundering are being recorded. The focus of the current investigative/prosecutorial effort remains still on what are described as fraud offences. The investigation and prosecution of laundered proceeds arising from offences committed by organised crime and drug traffickers seem not, so far, to have been afforded the same priority. This is to some extent being remedied with the creation of the new State Committee on the Control of Trafficking in Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which has the potential to be a major player in the future and to focus law enforcement efforts on the financial aspects of drug offences."

Document(s): Open document

30.04.2004 - Source: Guardian

A leading business figure, who once headed the government's bankruptcy agency, has been assassinated in central Moscow/ in another incident, an advertising executive assassinated ("Hitman kills Putin's ex-bankruptcy boss") [#21887], [ID 11940]

Document(s): Open document

28.08.2003 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

Criminality in the Primorskiy Kray ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 8, No. 15, 28 August 2003)") [#15907], [ID 11941]

"In addition to
dealing with crime among their own citizens, Primorskii Krai law enforcement officials
face real problems in dealing with crimes committed by foreigners in the region. S. V.
Slobodskii, a department chief in the region's police force, provided a typology of
foreigners and the crimes they commit at a conference dealing with the issue organized in
part by TraCCC's affiliate in Vladivostok on 27 June. Slobodskii divided crimes by
foreigners into five categories.
First is crime committed by tourists. During tourist season, many Chinese earning
approximately $1,000 a month visit the region. The authorities believe that there are few
criminal problems connected with the tourists. To the extent that there are problems, they
are connected to visa violations and the tourists' desire to visit a third country.
The second category involves traders who visit Russia for one month or less or
through a single-entry visa. Most of these people are Chinese Koreans involved in the
shuttle trade or Chinese involved in big business. They are generally trying to consolidate
their hold in Russia. Some of them chose to adopt an illegal status, intentionally losing
their personal documents, making it impossible to deport them to China. They often
concentrate on illegal business activities, selling various flora and fauna such as trepang
(sea cucumbers), frogs, and pine nuts. Often these dealers hire unemployed Russian
citizens to gather these resources. The Russians performing these jobs refuse to cooperate
with the law enforcement agencies, fearing that they will lose the only source of income
available to them.
With this category of foreign criminals, it is hard to prove to other countries that
their citizens are responsible for committing crimes. Additionally, there is no money in
the federal or regional budgets to deport such criminals. In many cases, Chinese
organized crime groups finance their activities. The poachers' activity has wiped out several types of wildlife in the krai. The groups are also actively working on Sakhalin
Island.
A third category of foreign criminals is workers in various types of joint ventures,
usually in the medium or small business sector. Generally, these businesses include the
organization and construction of gaming and entertainment establishments, such as
casinos, restaurants, and nightclubs with erotic dancers, accompanied by the typical
criminal phenomena. This is the most organized group of foreigners. They frequently
cooperate with the triads (Chinese organized crime) and Russian organized crime. There
are occasional conflicts between the foreign groups, and less frequently with Russian
crime groups.
The fourth category covers agricultural workers, usually from the poor provinces
of China, who have effectively pushed Russian agricultural producers from the Russian
market. Such workers rent land in Primorskii Krai from former state and collective farms,
then hire Russian peasants to work on them and collect fruits and berries. Those who are
not involved in agricultural activities organize groups to attack their countrymen, and less
frequently Russian citizens.
A fifth group includes crimes committed by students, instructors, scholars, and
representatives of official and non-governmental foreign groups. These types of crimes
are much less important than the others listed above.
Members of the Russian law enforcement agencies believe that China has an
official policy of legally and illegally populating Primorskii Krai with Chinese citizens
and actively exploiting the natural and human resources of the region."

Document(s): Open document

12.08.2003 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

New anti-Drug unit ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 8, No. 14, 12 August 2003)") [#15908], [ID 11942]

"Starting 1 July
Russia officially began merging its regional tax police departments (UFSNP) and antidrug
police units (MVD) into the regional departments of the State Committee for
Combating Drug Trafficking (Gosnarkokontrol - GNK). President Vladimir Putin
authorized the creation of GNK with a staff of 40,000 officers, modeled on the US Drug
Enforcement Agency, on 11 March 2003, when he simultaneously abolished the tax
police. Putin appointed Viktor Cherkesov, former presidential envoy in the NorthWest
Federal Okrug, to head the new agency and allocated generous funding for such
expenditures as chemical laboratories and the retraining of officers.
In creating the new agency, most regional branches simply beefed up the former
tax police structures with operatives from the MVD's anti-drug units. This approach
appears to be the one employed in all regions where Putin appointed the former regional
tax police chiefs to head the new anti-drug police departments (Astrakhan, Ivanovo,
Volgograd, and all regions of the Siberian Federal Okrug).
In Krasnoyarsk Krai, for example, Putin kept former regional tax police chief
Anatolii Samkov to head the 800-member anti-drug department. Samkov, in turn,
retained most of his subordinates, supplementing them with officers from the regional
MVD's anti-drug units. Currently, three-quarters of the Krasnoyarsk GNK department,
which is almost fully staffed, are former tax policemen, and the rest are former MVD
officers. Since most of the new agency's employees will continue to work in the city of
Krasnoyarsk, a main drug distribution center but nevertheless a city with reasonably high
living standards, managers had little difficulty quickly recruiting members for the antidrug
units. According to Samkov, the city accounts for 60 percent of the illegal drug trade in the region, while Krasnoyarsk Krai numbers in the top 20 of all Russian regions
in terms of drug-related crime. In addition, Krasnoyarsk suffers from the influx of drugs
from Tyva Republic, a major drug cultivation area, on the southern border of the krai.
In regions where Putin has yet to appoint the regional anti-drug department chief,
the process of recruiting staff for the new departments is going slowly since the new
chief, once he is appointed, would likely replace the tax policemen with his own
subordinates. For example, Putin has not appointed the head of the Moscow City antidrug
department, the largest in Russia. There 20 percent of the planned 2,000 officers
remain to be hired. Putin likewise has yet to appoint the anti-drug department chief in
Bashkortostan. In early July, Putin transferred Ivan Ivanov, the former Bashkortostan tax
police chief, to head the GNK Directorate for the Urals Federal Okrug and now
Bashkortostan's 700-member anti-drug department lacks half of its staff. Unlike in
Krasnoyarsk, Bashkortostan's drug-fighting units are going to be located in the rural areas
on the border with other regions to prevent drug trafficking into the republic. Naturally,
law enforcement officers are reluctant to accept the poor working conditions in these
rural areas.
The Astrakhan Oblast unit faces a similar challenge: 90 percent of the region's
narcotics arrive from Central Asia, so it makes the most sense to deploy anti-drug officers
on the border. Yet, as recently appointed anti-drug chief Vyacheslav Ovechkin
announced, his agency is only 71 percent staffed. Ovechkin faces this problem even
though he was the former head of the region's tax police. In Amur Oblast, the anti-drug
department has not even started to hire officers outside of the tax police. Valerii Sazhin,
head of the Irkutsk Oblast anti-drug department, announced that his department has hired
only 60 officers. Most of them came from the regional tax police. However, 80 tax police
officers refused to join the new anti-drug department. There are over 16,000 drug addicts
in Irkutsk Oblast.
That each region has to work out its own priorities to combat and prevent drug
trafficking makes sense. How well each anti-drug department performs its duties will be
another element of variation among Russian regions. Differences in staffing patterns and
challenges in uniting the staff of the new anti-drug departments will determine the
capacity of these agencies and contribute to the different levels of development among
the regions. It remains to be seen if the network of former tax police chiefs will
contribute to inter-regional cooperation in combating the Russian drug trade. Another
challenge is to overcome the competition among law-enforcement agencies, which
remains acute, according to GNK deputy chief Aleksandr Mikhailov. Currently, the new
anti-drug departments must coordinate their efforts against drug trafficking with the
MVD's anti-organized crime units (UBOP) and Federal Security Service (FSB) units. -
Alexei Trochev"

Document(s): Open document

23.07.2003 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

Trends in transnational organized crime in CIS ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 8, No. 13, 23 July 2003)") [#15909], [ID 11944]

"Transnational organized crime in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is one
of the most dynamic segments of organized crime in the world today. Beyond its general
efforts to expand, the following trends are visible in this sector of organized crime:
-- building influence within the legal economy, particularly in countries where legislation
is not particularly demanding about the legality of sources of external investment;
-- developing a specific niche in the internat ional criminal economy, particularly in the
illegal arms trade, video and audio piracy, and human trafficking for the purpose of
sexual exploitation;
-- constructing a multi-level "criminal bridge" between east and west as a means of
transporting drugs;
-- creating fictitious economic entities to launder illegal sources of money which cannot
be legalized in the countries where they were received because of strict monitoring;
-- the beginning of a second stage of criminal consolidation in which, as a result of the
elimination or absorption of a large number of small organized groups, the remaining
groups operating in the CIS are increasing efforts to coordinate their efforts and work out
differences among themselves. Since the collapse of the USSR, the number of meetings
held by the organized crime groups in the CIS has increased 20 times.
Analyzing these trends leads to the following conclusions:
1. At the beginning of the 21st century, a unified criminal society may appear in the CIS
performing functions in the economic, political, and even ideological spheres left
unfulfilled since the collapse of the Soviet Union;
2. There is a strong possibility that Russia and Ukraine will become major consumers of
drugs during the next 5-7 years;
3. Changes in international investment policies, making possible greater investments in
the CIS, could encourage the appearance of new channels for laundering money, passing
through various CIS black markets, for ultimate cleansing in Moscow. Most likely
considerable amounts of shadow capital will be reinvested in the CIS. Such an outcome
would be particularly likely if the majority of CIS countries, like Kazakhstan, announce
tax amnesties for those who illegally exported their capital.
While the organized crime groups of the CIS have became an inseparable part of
transnational crime, their influence on the international crime situation can hardly be
considered decisive."

Document(s): Open document

22.07.2003 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

Regional report (business and politics in the regions, countdown to Duma elections, conference on crime and corruption, regional elections) ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 8, No. 12, 22 July 2003)") [#15910], [ID 11945]

Document(s): Open document

07.05.2003 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

Regional report (contract killings, Chechnya in the context of Russian federalism, interregional labor mobility in Russia) ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 8, No. 7, 7 May 2003)") [#15917], [ID 11947]

Examples of contract killings

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: US Library of Congress

Involvement Of Russian Organized Crime Syndicates, Criminal Elements In The Russian Military, And Regional Terrorist Groups In Narcotics Trafficking In Central Asia, The Caucasus, And Chechnya ("Involvement Of Russian Organized Crime Syndicates, Criminal Elements In The Russian Military, And Regional Terrorist Groups In Narcotics Trafficking In Central Asia, The Caucasus, And Chechnya") [#15579], [ID 11948]

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: Organized crime in the Russian Federation ("Country Assessment - October 2002") [#9606], [ID 11949]

"6.52. Organised crime has become a significant factor in the political and economic life of Russia. While Russian organised crime has a long tradition dating as far back as the nineteenth century, the collapse of the Soviet state and subsequent loss of a capacity to impose order on the population provided unprecedented opportunities for the flourishing of criminal organisations. The adoption of a new criminal code went some way towards easing the problem, but its implementation remained uneven, particularly as lack of resources made it difficult for the police to combat organised crime. The number of criminal organisations operating in the country grew from 3,000 in 1992 to 9,000 in 1998, and their activities include extortion, economic crime and financial fraud, infiltration of the property market, of the banking system, and of industry and commerce, the illicit production and sale of vodka, automobile theft, contract killings, drugs trafficking, counterfeiting and intellectual property theft, corruption, and trafficking in nuclear materials. Of these activities, the most pervasive and significant is the extortion of business, with criminals demanding 10% of turnover, often accompanied by threats of violence and no prospect of any protection service in return.
6.53. Cases where such criminals are acting with the co-operation or at least with the acquiescence of the police are believed to be widespread throughout the Russian Federation, although this is more likely to occur in smaller cities, towns and rural areas, beyond the environs of Moscow and St Petersburg, and particularly in the east of the country, where feudal-type systems dominate. [...]
6.54. There is evidence that the Russian authorities are committed to combating the problem of organised crime. Laws have become stronger, omissions of legislation are being rectified and the criminal justice system is gradually beginning to function with greater integrity and effectiveness. During 1997, over 16,000 participants in criminal formations were brought to justice in Russia, while 5,600 cases of bribery were identified and over 480 corrupt officials were indicted.[1] More recently, 26,100 crimes were exposed by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Department on Organised Crime, between January and October 2000. In the same period, some 24,600 crimes were solved, while 5,381 pieces of firearms, more than 650,000 pieces of ammunition, over 230 tonnes of explosives, 11,000 bombs, 2 million dollars worth of counterfeit money, and 1,767 kilograms of narcotic drugs were confiscated by the department.[30] Meanwhile, criminal proceedings were instituted against more than 18,000 officials in 2000, for various economic crimes.[29] Over 376,000 economic crimes were solved in 2000, that is 23.9% more than in 1999, while a total of 244,000 crimes associated with drug trafficking were also solved, 12.6% more than in 1999.[31] Furthermore, the overall number of crimes registered in Russia in 2000 did not exceed three million for the first time in the past few years, with a decline of 2.2% in the crime rate, along with a considerable improvement in crime detection.[33] For example, more than 100 suspected members of an organised crime gang who were found in possession of pistols, narcotics and stolen property in the Russian Far East city of Komsomolsk were arrested in November 2000."

Document(s): Open document

31.01.2002 - Source:

Eurasianet.org: A typology of the Russian Mafia ("Eurasianet: Russia's Organized Crime: A Typology, Part I: How the Mafias were formed") [ID 11950]

"The problem is not simply corruption, such as bribe taking, that infects the public sphere, but actual criminal activity by governmental and law-enforcement agencies. The organized crime groups in Russia can be divided into 3 major categories: "classic," "governmental," and "national." The classic Mafias are the familiar structures known throughout the world. The governmental structures are the security services and private security agencies that run substantial criminal enterprises. The national Mafias sprang from ethnically Chechen groups, which were initially set up explicitly to protect Chechen business interests but then diversified their activities and membership."

Document(s): Eurasianet: Russia's Organized Crime: A Typology, Part I: How the Mafias were formed

31.01.2002 - Source:

Eurasianet.org: A typology of the Russian Mafia ("Part II: The Effects of the New Chechen War") [ID 11950]

"The problem is not simply corruption, such as bribe taking, that infects the public sphere, but actual criminal activity by governmental and law-enforcement agencies. The organized crime groups in Russia can be divided into 3 major categories: "classic," "governmental," and "national." The classic Mafias are the familiar structures known throughout the world. The governmental structures are the security services and private security agencies that run substantial criminal enterprises. The national Mafias sprang from ethnically Chechen groups, which were initially set up explicitly to protect Chechen business interests but then diversified their activities and membership."

Document(s): Part II: The Effects of the New Chechen War

06.2001 - Source:

National Institute of Justice: Organized crime in the Russian Federation ("National Institute of Justice: The Threat of Russian Organized Crime") [ID 11951]

"Since 1991, Russian law and the criminal justice system have gone through significant changes. Among the changes relevant to organized crime are increased sanctions for crimes committed by groups (and especially for their leaders) and new provisions on extortion. As with other legal changes, however, there has been a continuing problem of weak law enforcement and an overall weakness of governmental authority. As a result, the law on the books is not the law in practice.
[...]
No serious effort has been made within the Russian government to define “organized crime” in legal terms as the broad and complex phenomenon that it is. The Russian government has yet to formulate a coherent overall strategy for fighting crime in general. It has also failed to address challenges presented to law enforcement efforts by organized crime in particular. Official corruption remains rampant. There is no witness protection program. While the legal apparatus and law enforcement resources for fighting organized crime remain undeveloped and inadequate, criminal organizations unfortunately flourish."

Document(s): National Institute of Justice: The Threat of Russian Organized Crime

2001 - Source:

Search International: Organized Crime in Russia ("R. Lindberg/V. Markovic: Organized Crime Outlook in the New Russia: Russia is Paying the Price of a Market Economy in Blood") [ID 11952]

"Intelligence reports emanating out of Russia peg the numerical size of the Russian Mafia (“Mafiya”) at 100,000 members owing allegiance to 8,000 stratified crime groups who control 70-80% of all private business and 40% of the nation’s wealth.

The largest of these groups are the Dolgopruadnanskaya and the drug-running Solntsevskaya, with 5,000 members concentrated in the Moscow suburb of Solntsevo. Vyatcheslav “Little Japanese” Ivankov, one of Russia’s deadliest and most feared career criminals founded Solntsevskaya in 1980. The current leader of this cartel is Sergei Mikhailov who is presently being detained by the authorities in Switzerland.

The most powerful ethnic minority in Russia these days appears to be the Chechens, from the Caucasus Mountains. The Chechen Obshina gang is heavily involved in kidnapping, bank robbery, and white-collar crime. During the Soviet era, the Georgians controlled much of the black market trade.

Between 1992 and 1994 the Russian Mafia targeted the commercial centers of power, seizing control of the nation’s fragile banking system. At first the criminal gangs were content to merely “park” their large cash holdings in legitimate institutions, but soon they realized that the next step was the easiest of all: direct ownership of the bank itself.

Banking executives, reform-minded business leaders, even investigative journalists, were systematically assassinated or kidnapped. In 1993 alone, members of the eight criminal gangs that control the Moscow underworld murdered 10 local bankers. Calling themselves “Thieves in Law” (vory y zakone), Russian gangsters have murdered ninety-five bankers in the last five years.

The demoralized and underpaid city police are ill equipped to curb the rising tide of violence or halt the nightly shootings. In 1993, Moscow police records show that there were more than 5,000 murders and 20,000 incidents of violent crime. Since then, conditions have only worsened. On average, 10,000 people die each year from gun violence—600 are contract killings."

Document(s): R. Lindberg/V. Markovic: Organized Crime Outlook in the New Russia: Russia is Paying the Price of a Market Economy in Blood