Russia: Information on the organized crime in Russia, particularly names and activities of organizations, and the government's response to it
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS16953.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Information on the organized crime in Russia, particularly names and activities of organizations, and the government's response to it, 1 April 1994, RUS16953.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab058c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the CJ International, a criminal justice newsletter, "organized crime groups [in Russia] according to the territory they control, according to the ethnic background of the group members, or according to the name or nickname of the leader" (Jul.-Aug. 1993, 16). The same source held as examples a group known as "Solntsevo" coming from the Solntsevo region of Moscow, the "Chechen" groups which consist primarily of ethnic Chechens from the Northern Caucasus region and "Boris", a group named after its leader (ibid.).
The typical activities of these groups "include racketeering, fraud, theft, robbery, armed robbery, drug dealing and trafficking, weapons trade, smuggling, prostitution, gambling, profiteering, and embezzling in the economic and banking spheres" (CJ International Jul.-Aug. 1993, 17).
To combat the organized crime, the Russian government undertook various measures such as issuing in April 1992 a decree making it illegal for officials to engage in private business, in October 1992 a decree calling for the formation of a special unit to fight organized crime and ordering the creation of a special interdepartmental commission for combatting crime and corruption (RFE/RL 14 May 1993, 85). In addition to these measures, the government also promulgated in February 1993 a law preventing the illegal export of cultural assets and tightening procedures for licensing exports (Ibid.). In October 1993, a state of emergency was introduced in Moscow in order to "cleanse" the city of criminal elements (Interfax 13 Oct. 1993). According to several sources, Russia's efforts to fight crime remain, however, hampered by a lack of proper technology, equipment, specialists as well as by inadequate legislation and law enforcement agencies (AFP 2 Feb. 1994; AP 11 Feb. 1992; RFE/RL 14 May 1993, 85).
For further details on the above, please refer to the attachments, and in particular an Izvestiya report on a memorandum on organized crime released by the Socioeconomic Policy Analysis Center.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 February 1994. "Des meurtres d'hommes d'affaires aux attentats à la bombe, la criminalité prospère en Russie." (NEXIS)
Associated Press (AP). 11 February 1992. Stephen Handleman. "Democracy's New Menace." (NEXIS)
CJ International [Chicago]. July-August 1993. Vol. 9, No. 4. Joseph Serio. "Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union: Only the Name is New."
Interfax [Moscow, in English]. 13 October 1993. "State of Emergency Used to Cleanse Moscow of Criminals." (FBIS-SOV-93-197 14 Oct. 1993, p. 19)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute. 14 May 1993. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich], Vol. 2, No. 20. Sheila Marnie and Albert Motivans. "Rising Crime Rates: Perceptions and Reality."
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 February 1994. "Des meurtres d'hommes d'affaires aux attentats à la bombe, la criminalité prospère en Russie." (NEXIS)
Andreï Illech. 1993. "Le danger mafieux". Etat de toutes les Russies, les états et les nations de l'ex-URSS. Edited by Marc Ferro. Paris: Editions La Découverte, pp. 129-30.
Associated Press (AP). 11 February 1992. Stephen Handleman. "Democracy's New Menace." (NEXIS)
CJ International [Chicago]. September-October 1993. Vol. 9, No. 5. Joseph Serio. "Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union: New directions, New Locations," pp. 15-21.
. September-October 1993. Vol. 9, No. 5. Sergei Khmelev. "Bank Fraud: New White-Collar Organized Crime," p. 18.
. July-August 1993. Vol. 9, No. 4. Joseph Serio. "Organized Crime in the Former Soviet Union: Only the Name is New," pp. 11-17.
. November-December 1992. Vol. 8, No. 6. Joseph Serio. "Shunning Tradition: Ethnic Organized Crime in the Soviet Union," pp. 5-6.
The Economist [London]. 19 February 1994. "Crime in Russia: The High Price of Freeing Markets," pp. 57-58.
The Independent [London]. 9 February 1992. Helen Womack. "Russia Swaps the Party for the Mob; Free Enterprise is Saddled With Its Underworld Past. Helen Womack Traces the Rise of Moscow's Mafia." (NEXIS)
Interfax [Moscow, in English]. 13 October 1993. "State of Emergency Used to Cleanse Moscow of Criminals." (FBIS-SOV-93-197 14 Oct. 1993, p. 19)
ITAR-TASS [Moscow, in English]. 26 October 1993. "Official Gives Briefing on Criminal Gangs." (FBIS-SOV-93-206 27 oct. 1993, p. 29)
Izvestiya [Moscow, in Russian]. 26 January 1994. "Think Tank Addresses Fight Against Mobsters." (FBIS-SOV-94-033 17 Feb. 1994, pp. 19-21)
Le Monde [Paris]. 13 February 1994. Bernard Cohen. "La justice russe menacée d'ingérence."
Le Point [Paris]. 31 December 1993. No. 111. Virginie Coulloudon. "Moscow: la mort aux trousses," p. 30.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute. 14 May 1993. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich], Vol. 2, No. 20. Sheila Marnie and Albert Motivans. "Rising Crime Rates: Perceptions and Reality," pp. 80-85.
The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS). 15 December 1993. "Russian Gangs Join Forces in War Over Spheres of Influence." (NEXIS)
. 15 December 1993. "Ethnic Caucasians Commit More Crimes in Moscow." (NEXIS)