Yeah, back in 2013 I was in prison for few weeks and met a guy who got deported from US after serving a sentence there. He stated something familiar that most Russians coming from Russia are actually jewish, but those ones coming from Baltic states are real ethnic Russians.
The errands with the properties - generally if you come from a poor country where you used to have survive with scheming how to get more funds and save up money, then more advanced countries have much more easier systems where you find flaws in the system and can save up or earn an extra dollar.
About the prostitution rings, it's a known fact that Russian OC groups specialize in this. However the threats to family matters from the group. By ponyatiya you cannot touch someone's family as they are not responsible for their relatives choices and wrongdoings.




Russian OC is more different and complex than Italian crime groups which most people are here discussing. There is not an exact Rank structure that these groups go by.
Bigger crime groups have structures and ranks, smaller ones limit themselves to less ranks. Some considered mafias are just networks of groups working together on a deal or solving a conflict.

Small groups usually are organized by a leader or few, often named as "authority"(avtorityet). Some groups hold a rank "Obshak", which is the person or many of them who hold the groups funds. This comes from the prison system, as they have an Obshak.

Sometimes small groups will divide roles or tasks, also interpret more ranks, such as the hitman. Bigger groups will have more ranks, but there is no exact names or guidelines what these ranks need to be. It is up to the group to have them. Such as there will be leaders, close people to the leaders, obshak, brigadiers if the group runs several brigades, hitmen, security for the higher ranking members, etc. As bigger the group, the more the ranks there could be.

Thief in Law Ranks or Status?
Vory V Zakone by basic western understanding is a large and loose prison gang covering all ex-USSR countries and some prison outside(such as a Cyprus prison is ran by Georgian thieves in Law, several prison in Western Europe hold ex-USSR inmates and they tend to stick together and live by the ponyatiya).

Vory V Zakone do not have ranks, but more like status system. There is no kingpin or main leader - Vor V Zakone is the highest status in the system, but he is equal with all other Vory V Zakone, who can at any time decide his faith. Usually they are leaders of a prison when they are locked up. They look over it, their role is to have prisoners a fair life inside by the ponyatiya. Also gaining funds and other good for the inmates. Outside they more pull off roles as crime group leaders or respected members in the groups - however it is against the ponyatiya to take orders from anyone. They control criminal funds and hold responsibility for them - this is a serious offence in the Vorovskoi Mir if a Thief in Law has spent the funds unrightly or for his own needs.

Then there are several other statuses in prisons - such as Pacani(Lads) and Blatnie(Respected criminal), which are the ones living right by ponyatiya and follow the prison lifes and it's rules made by Thieves in Law.

Downed Kasta/Roosters - these are people who have been raped or downed(can be pissed on or sexually abused in other ways). They don't have any say in the prison life and are not respected by anyone. They have different statuses there, such as there can be leaders called moms, or their significant status for they were downed for Rats(stealing from other inmates), Goats(snitched), Roosters(people who are gay by sexuality or are in prison for rape/pedophilia).