In communist Russia, rat traps YOU

So does anyone know the deal with rats in the Russian mob? In the late 90s and according to a book I read, even thru the early 2000s, the Russian mob had never produced a rat that flipped on his own people. I see in another thread that there must have been at least one. Is there a long list of Russian rats by now or have they kept it quiet?

Are you asking about the Russian mob in USA or in Russia?

In Russia, there have been rats in the mob all the time. Just to make a recent example, in the city of Kirov there have been arrests of the members of the "Prokoposkaya" gang. The boss is Mikhail Prokopyev, and his right-hand man Sergei Krivoshein ratted on him for the 2003 murder of the businessman Anatoliy Gorbushin.

Also, several years ago, a prominent associate of the Tambovskaya gang in St.Petersburg, Badri Shengelia, ratted on his bosses, including the n.1 of the gang, Vladimir Kumarin.

As for how they are dealing with rats, it depends on how much the police wants to protect them. If the order to jail a specific gang comes from Moscow, even directly from Kremlin, then touching a turncoat is suicide. But in regions that don't attract attention of the central power and all the police is bought and under control, then nobody even thinks of turning informant.

At least that's the impression I currently have, but I haven't been in Russia for years.

I mean the ones in America specifically. But anywhere really since they're all over. But I'm curious about the ones in America for the most part. I heard they were good with the rat situation compared to other OC groups

There is no Russian mob in the us from a structure stand point

They are clearly doing sophisticated and big money crimes, especially health care , prostitution, drugs ( they basically made the ecstacy market in the us back in the 90s) and high end gambling , however they structure themselves differently and are much looser , more like loosely connected networks than a heiarchly like CN

Watch the national geographic documentary about Russian gangsters in Brooklyn. One gangleader turned rat gives an interview and there is one younger guy who became a rat giving an interview. these two are the ones I can remember.

I figured there must be rats. Just wanted to clarify since I used to hear the opposite.

I know of at least one NYC under cover cop in the Russian mafia.

Have not said anything because maybe I can use it some day or maybe not.

The guy has been to my house he was a friend of my ex son in law who is a regular cop.

I love reading about vor v zakone (thieves in law) and their rules and codes. To think this all started in the horrible Soviet gulags in Siberia, just imagine whats it like in that place where only the toughest survive.
As much as I love CN, I'll never refuse to watch a new documentary on these thieves in law, or even read a book if a good one came out like the ones on CN.

We need a really good russian mobster movie. Something gritty like serpico or french connection. Those guys have crazy fucking stories. Half of them were old kgb agents or prisoners in those gulags. Someone good needs to get on this. So far I only see russian gangsters in b movies where they play some bit part as a stereotypical gorilla type

Im getting tired of the portrayal of Russian OC. Its always the same and I agree they always play the stereotypical gorilla type. But I also think that the media exaggerates a lot about the Russians outside of Russia.

And Blacksheep you should watch Eastern Promises best Russian mob movie I have seen so far.

Outside, maybe they don't have much power. But inside they live like kings and act as such, unfortunately. I mean, in most Western countries politicians avoid being openly associated with mobsters, such as taking photos with them etc, while in Russia, as long as the mobster has registered on himself some companies, he isn't considered a mobster anymore, but a "businessman", and if he pays something to charities, then politicians act like they consider an honor to shake their hands... Just sickening. You know that Putin publicly rewarded Sergei "Mikhas'" Mikhailov and Medvedev took a photo with Yevgeniy "The Admiral" Kudryavzev? When they are on Russian territory, they simply forget where their real place in society is. That's why I hate my compatriot mobsters more than the mobsters of any other country.

I read this article about carding and the author said that the best carders in the world were Russian. He said that the government didn't give a f*ck about their criminal activities as long as they dont attack Russian institutions. The cyber criminals in Russia are very open, apparently with some of them even saying on Facebook that they are carders. And posting the money and stuff they got by hacking and stealing from other countries. They are immune to prosecution from the west lol.

That's the mythical view of the Soviet criminals. Sadly enough it is, for the most part, fictious. There may be some former KGB agents that slipped into criminal activity and did business with criminal bosses and gangs, but that does not mean half the Russian mob consists of former KGB agents. On the contrary, most current Russian criminals with membership to one of the more notorious crime syndicates (Solntsevskaya, Tambov,...) do not differ much from Italian, Albanian, Mexican, Black,...gangsters that grow up in poverty (but even that's not necessary) and willingly choose a criminal lifestyle. Mikhailov -one of the most powerful Russian criminals- for instance was a waiter before turning to crime. That does not diminish the power he currently has -especially in Russia itself- but he does not fit the description of the mythical 'ex-special forces turned crime lord'.

From what I have gathered, the traditional "Vor" is more or less a thing of the past. Now there are still former prisoners with a "Vor" status running around, having a significant amount of power in the underworld. This is especially true for Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani gangsters. But the large ethnic Russian crime syndicates, as well as Jewish groups that are sometimes counted within the "Russian mafia", often have far less influence from the tradional "Thieves in Law". Ivankov for instance was a gangster most closely associated with the ethnic Russian groups (being an ethnic Russian himself) and he indeed was a Vor. But there are far more examples of powerful Russian mobsters within gangs like the Solntsevskaya, Tambov,...that are not -or at least not true- Vors. Chechen gangs also generally have nothing to do with "Thieves in Law".

That's right. Also, many gangs formed in the 90s which evolved in mafia-type organizations were made of former sport people / athletes that were left without work after the changes in the country.

Very much true. And that seems to be the case especially for the ethnic Russian gangs that -despite the notoriety of the Georgian, Chechen, Azerbaijani, Armenian and Jewish so-called "mafias"- still make up the vast majority of the Russian underworld in Russia itself and the Baltic states.

The Russian gangs aren't the only ones doing this. For instance Bulgarian gangs very heavily recruit among former sportspeople as well.

Of topic but I watched this doc on HBO bought being gay in Russia that's not welcome. Its a hard watch these Nazi types set up dates online and catch the gay dudes and tourture them its bad. That show the Americans about Russian spies is my shit. Toast.

pmac I love that show too.. not really that great quality-wise, compared to heavy hitters like Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, etc however it's pretty entertaining and the concept is very innovative.