Mafia
The
RUSSIAN MAFIA
by
History:
The
origin of the Russian mafia can be found back in 1700 in the USSR.
The criminals were stealing from the government divided the goods
amongst the folks, who were mostly just peasants. Therefore the
thieves earned a Robin-Hood-like status and were celebrated as
heroes. Their code of conduct required strict loyalty towards each
other; besides, it was forbidden to work with or for the government.
Whoever does not stick to the code is considered a traitor.
During
Stalins reign many of the criminals were imprisoned in the gulags
(Soviet labor camps). Powerful mobsters climbed the ladder to become
vory v
zakone (literally:
thieves in law). After Hitlers invasion in the USSR Stalin needed
more soldiers, so he decided to free the prisoners, if they were
willing to join his forces. However, only few confirmed his offer and
those who did not were freed after the war (around 8 million). A new
code established: everyone fights for himself. Cooperation with the
government is still not gladly seen, but acceptable after all.
Between
1980 and 1990 the first expansion to the US took place as the “Potato
Bag Gang” occurred in America, since then the expansion took its
course. In 1992 the USSR collapsed and more or less a war between the
gangs breaks out, many leaders are murdered and assassinated. In may
in 1995 a mass arrest of powerful gang members. Today the Russian
mafia has spread over 50 countries and has around 300 000 members
outside of the former USSR (3.3 million total ). It is considered one
of the most dangerous and violent gangs in the world.
700
stole from government, give people robin hood status folk heroes
code of conduct strict loyalty stalin reign many imprisoned
gulags (Soviet labor camps)
vory v zakone ("thieves-in-law").
wanted them to fight in war after war 8
million freed new code everyone for himself 1970 1980 first expansion
to US first leader Evsei Agron 1992 USSR collapse more orless war
between gangs may 1995mass arrest 2009 50 countries 2010 300000
members
Structure:
The
organization of the Bratva is unlike other gangs highly
decentralized. The Russian mafia is devided up into 10 Brigades,
that operate rather autonomous. Its resources though are pooled
together and controlled by 12 councillors to ensure, that none of the
brigades become too powerful.
The
boss of the gang is called Pakhan;
he controls everything. His closest advisors and most trusted people
are the Sovietnik.
The
Kassir can
be compared to the underboss in other gangs. He is the bookmaker and
bribes the government and uses the money for the good of the mafia.
Two
Spies watch over the Brigades
to keep peace between them and to have a care that no one becomes too
powerful.
A
Brigadier
controls a group of men and has to pay tribute to the Pakhan.
The crew of a Brigadier
is a Brigade
and contains the following positions:
Boeviks are the
main force of the mafia, they find and recruit new members. Of course
they have to pay tribute to the Brigadier.
The recruits are split up in three types:
Krysha is an
extremely violent soldier and is often used to protect a business
from other gangs.
A Torpedo
is simply an assassin
Bykis are often
used as bodyguards. Their name literally means “bulls”.
The Shestyorka
(also called the six) is pretty much the lowest position in the
mafia. New members are positioned here to earn respect. They hardly
ever take part in the main action, but stand on the lookout or
operate as bodyguards.
Fun fact: The name Shestyorka
comes from the lowest rank in a 36 playing card deck – the six.
The
criminals with the highest reputation are the Vors
(thieves in law).
Their code of conduct is really strict, they support each other and
the most important thing for them is their honor. Their word is law
for their subordinates.
Reasons
people join gangs:
First
of all, there are some factors, that might increase the chance, that
a person joins a gang. Some of these reasons are family problems,
early failure in school or a bad social network. The most new members
are teenagers from poor areas, but there are people joining from
stable family environments too. The reasons to join a gang may vary,
but here are the most common ones listed:
A
lack of attention at home or the attempt to escape a negative home
life to feel a sense
of family
Gangs
often show themselves as the place to go for people who miss the
basic essentials. They
represent food, clothing and shelter
for all the members and use affiliation to sell drugs and for auto
theft.
In
unsafe areas people join gangs to protect
themselves
from those same gangs. It might sound confusing at first but it is
often easier join a gang, than to be vulnerable to it.
Some
might also do it for the excitement
or to appear cool
in front of their fellows. Gangs have mastered the art of
manipulation they appear to have the perfect lifestyle.
Young
people are especially responsive to peer
pressure,
so they join a gang just to fit
in.
Typical activities:
The Russian mafia is estimated to be not the most
powerful, but the most aggressive and dangerous gang in the world. It
is extremely notorious for torture, arson, bombing, terrorism, murder
and will kill anybody who stands in its way. Moreover the mafia is
primarily involved in weapon trafficking, human trafficking, sex
trafficking, drug trafficking, forced and non forced prostitution,
pornography, extortion, wildlife smuggling and smuggling in general.
Personal comment:
First and foremost I would like to point out, that
I have learned much new through my research to this topic. There were
many interesting things to find out – like the code of conduct for
thieves in the law or the whole genesis of the mafia. Most
interesting I found was the complex structure of the gang, but I was
surprised that the Russian mafia is no “big mafia” but more like
a large amount of smaller gangs that bundle up their resources to
form a criminal superpower. Furthermore I was shocked about how much
power the mafia has on the Russian government and that it even has
members in important positions of the authority.
I was really astonished by the fact, that the
mafia makes a vast majority of its money through legitimate business
than through selling drugs or prostitution, it is said, that these
gangs control over 40 000 companies all over the world, but of course
one cannot verify this statement.
Symbols:
The Russian mafia mainly uses tattoos to
communicate each other their rank or the crimes they committed. The
gang members get their tattoos mostly in prison, the inmates use a
modified razor and some needles and ink for the process. It is much
more painful and dangerous, than getting a normal tattoo. Of course
the hygiene in prisons is neglected, so one can get many diseases
like syphilis, AIDS or tetanus. Here are
some of the most common symbols:
The Skull and the bones on the shoulders
show, that the inmate serves a life sentence. The girl on his left
forearm that catches its dress with the fishing rod is used to mark
rapists.
A
dagger through the throat means that the tattooed murdered someone in
prison and is willing to assassinate again. The number of the drops
of blood show how many kills the inmate has committed already.
A snake around the neck stands for drug addiction.
The
Epaulettes on the shoulders show disrespect
for the government and mean: “No one can force me to work” or
“Horses die from work” . There can be either stars or skulls on
them.
The
two devil-heads on the shoulders represent hatred towards the
government, the tattoo is known as “smirk”- you show the system
your teeth.
A rose on the breast of an inmate means, that he
turned 18 in prison.
Ethnic
origin
Typical
activities
Symbols
Clothes,
colours