In reality, Russia has had a well-organised and influential criminal underworld since at least the late 1800's- although the group only came to prominence during the Bolshevik revolution, when racketeers sided with revolutionaries. Post-revolution, a complex fraternity evolved in these groups- with its own sense of honour and values; a form of 'initiation' that had to be passed to join. As the name suggests, there are many parallels with the Sicilian Mafia. Operating under the banner 'vori v zakone' ('thieves in law'), it was these men who ran Russia's vast black market. Protected by high-ranking officials- some of whom were members of the fraternity, others merely 'associates', the Organyzatsia became a tolerated and accepted part of Russian society (the black market was reportedly used on a regular basis by four out of five consumers). All this was to change however, with the advent of the free market.
The Organyzatsia made the switch to Western-style organised crime; realising in these new circumstances they did not just have to control 'fringe' enterprises like drugs and prostitution- they were ideally placed to control everything. Now, ten years on from the downfall of communism, the extent of the Organyzatsia's power and influence is staggering; - the evidence of their expansion is enshrined in the statistics. Murder rates in the old Soviet Union were found to have trebled since 1989; offences involving firearms were up 250% - most of which supposedly involved contract killings. In 1994 the Russian ministry of internal affairs (MVD) announced that 25% of Russia's GDP is under the direct control of the Organyzatsia. In 1993, a report commissioned by Boris Yeltsin stated that between 70 and 80% of banks and major businesses were paying out protection money (in some cases as much as half their profits). Smuggling is a major occupation of the Organyzatsia; everything from gasoline and cotton to enriched plutonium. . $45 billion worth of resources left the country in 1990, with all the profits going to the Organyzatsia. The report also suggested corruption was rife; mob informants were present at every level of the army, security services and police force. Moscow's chief of police has expressed fears that 95% of his force could be on the take. The downsizing of the security services after the end of the Cold war is no doubt responsible for the large number of ex intelligence agents and special forces that now work for the Organyzatsia. It also makes this organisation considerably more dangerous than many of its western counterparts as they expand.
As with most organised crime syndicates, the Organyzatsia soon set its sights abroad. Naturally, they have expanded primarily into areas where there is either a large ethnic Russian population (New York's Brighton beach- home to around 40,000 émigrés- is apparently their main stronghold outside of Russia) or where they already have networks and influence- such as Eastern Europe.
Progress on the international scene has been mixed. Their main activity is still the laundering of capital/money. The Organyzatsia have yet to make a serious impact on the already overcrowded international drugs scene. They tend to form 'partnerships' with other groups- primarily the Colombian cartels, Chinese Triads and Turkish syndicates and chiefly for the purpose of acquiring illegal drugs for sale within the old Soviet Union. They do operate limited enterprises of this nature in old Eastern Europe- although in many of these areas, they are beginning to come into conflict with their 'partners'- particularly the Turkish crime syndicates. With the war in old Yugoslavia, however, Russia has become an important route for drug smuggling from the Golden Crescent- who have traditionally used the 'Balkans route'. This situation will no doubt see the Organyzatsia expand its influence in this area of criminal activity.
There are two very high profile enterprises outside of the old Soviet union, however, that the Organyzatsia are commonly associated with; - prostitution (with lucrative operations in Frankfurt, Helsinki and Hong Kong- utilising young Russian immigrants), and, more worryingly, arms dealing. The Organyzatsia often find themselves with access to a cheap and seemingly endless supplies of high-quality military weaponry; a legacy of the partial dismantling of the Soviet army. The Organyzatsia have supplied terrorists, organised crime and even small countries with Red Army surplus- with everything ranging from anti-aircraft missiles to AK-47 assault rifles. In recent years, the media and law-enforcement agencies world-wide have been captivated by the possibility that the Russian Mafia might be able to provide buyers with nuclear weaponry, or weapons grade nuclear material. Initially, fears proved unfounded- there have indeed been seizures of radioactive material - but most turned out to be cons and frauds, some involving nothing more sinister than radioactive soil from Chernobyl. In the last few years, however, there has been a considerable 'quality- leap'; with genuine plutonium being seized for the first time. For activities like this, it seems that Germany has emerged as the Organyzatsia's main 'shop-window' for illegal arms sales- most seizures involving them have been made in Germany.