Russian Mafia. Russian organised crime. Is the Russian Mafia is dead Essay

Russian Mafia. Russian organised crime. Is the Russian Mafia is dead or not - Essay Example 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 cr iminal growth in the USSR. Also, the government was not able to provide the basic products to the citizens hence making a