Russian organized crime originated in the imperial and Soviet eras, with "thieves-in-law" emerging as leaders of prison gangs. In the 1990s following the Soviet Union's fall, many criminal groups exploited instability and lack of governance in former republics, with some controlling up to two-thirds of Russia's economy. Modern Russian organized crime consists of over 6,000 groups globally, including major organizations like the Solntsevskaya Bratva based in Moscow and the Georgian mafia. These groups engage in activities like extortion, prostitution, and other crimes.

1. Russian organized crime or Russian mafia sometimes referred to as Bratva is a collective of various
organized crime elements originating in the former Soviet Union.
Organized crime in Russia began in the imperial period of the Tsars, but it was not until the Soviet era that
“vory v zakone” ("thieves-in-law") emerged as leaders of prison groups in gulags (Soviet prison labor
camps), and their honor code became more defined. With the end of World War II, the death of Joseph
Stalin, and the fall of the Soviet Union, more gangs emerged in a flourishing black market, exploiting the
unstable governments of the former Republics, and at its highest point, even controlling as much as two-
thirds of the Russian economy .Louis Freeh, former director of the FBI, said that the Russian mafia posed
the greatest threat to U.S. national security in the mid-1990s.
In modern times, there are as many as 6,000 different groups, with more than 200 of them having a global
reach. Criminals of these various groups are either former prison members, corrupt officials and business
leaders, people with ethnic ties, or people from the same region with shared criminal experiences and
leaders[clarification needed. However, the existence of such groups has been debated. In December 2009,
Timur Lakhonin, the head of the Russian National Central Bureau of Interpol, stated "Certainly, there is
crime involving our former compatriots abroad, but there is no data suggesting that an organized structure
of criminal groups comprising former Russians exists abroad",while in August 2010, Alain Bauer, a French
criminologist, said that it "is one of the best structured criminal organizations in Europe, with a quasi-military
operation.
Bratva structur
Note that these positions are not always official titles, but rather are understood names for roles that an
individual performs.
 Pakhan – also called Boss,
 Krestniy Otets ("Capo di tutti capi | Godfather")
 Vor ("Thief"), Papa, or
 Avtoritet ("Authority"), controls everything.
The Pakhan controls four criminal cells in the working unit through an intermediary called a "Brigadier."[43]
 Two Spies – watch over the action of the brigadiers to ensure loyalty and none become too powerful.
They are the Sovietnik ("Support Group") and Obshchak ("Security Group").
 Derzhatel obschaka, the bookkeeper, collects money from Brigadiers and bribes the government
to Obshchak (money mafia intended for use in the interests of the group). This could be Brigadier,
Pakhan, Authoritet.
 Brigadier – also called Avtoritet ("Authority"), is like a captain in charge of a small group of men, similar
to Caporegime in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. He gives out jobs to
Boyeviks ("warriors") and pays tribute to Pakhan. He runs a crew which is called a Brigade (Bratva). A
Brigade is made up of 5–6 Patsanov or Brodyaga.

2.  Bratok - also called Patsan, or Brodyaga works for a Brigadier having a special criminal activity to
run, similar to soldiers in Italian-American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans.
 A Boyevik is in charge of finding new guys and paying tribute up to his Brigadier. Boyeviks also make
up the main strike force of a brigade (bratva).

 Shestyorka – is an "associate" to the organization also called the "six", similar to associates in Italian-
American Mafia crime families and Sicilian Mafia clans. Is an errand boy for the organization and is the
lowest rank in the Russian Mafia. The sixes are assigned to some Avtorityets for support. They also
provide an intelligence for the upcoming "delo" or on a certain target. They usually stay out of the main
actions, although there might be exceptions, depending on circumstances. During a "delo" Shestyorkas
perform security functions standing on the look out (Shukher – literally: danger). It is a temporary
position and an individual either making it into the Vor-world or being cast aside. As they are earning
their respect and trust in Bratva they may be performing roles of the regular Boyeviks or Byki depending
on the necessities and patronage of their Brigadier or Avtorityet. Etymology of 'shestyorka' word comes
from the lowest rank of 36 playing card deck – sixes.
In the Russian Mafia, "Vor" (plural: Vory) (literally, "Thief") is an honorary title denoting a made man. The
honor of becoming a Vor is only given when the recruit shows considerable leadership skills, personal
ability, intellect and charisma. A Pakhan or another high-ranking member of an organization can decide if
the recruit will receive such title. When you become a member of the Vor-world you have to accept the code
of the Vor v Zakone ("Thief within the Law").[44][45]
Although Russian criminal groups vary in their structure, there have been attempts to devise a model of
how they work. One such model (possibly outdated by now, as it is based on the old style of Soviet criminal
enterprises) works out like this:
1. Elite group – led by a Pakhan who is involved in management, organization and ideology. This is
the highest group controls both support group and security group.
2. Security group – is led by one of his spies. His job is to make sure the organization keeps running
and also keeps the peace between the organizations and other criminal groups and also paying
off the right people. This group works with the Elite group and is equal in power with the Support
groups. Is in charge of security and in intelligence.
3. Support group – is led by one of his spies. His job is to watch over the working unit collecting the
money while supervising their criminal activities. This group works with the elite group and is equal
in power with the Security group. They plan a specific crime for a specialized group or choose who
carries out the operation.

3. 4. Working Unit – There are four Brigadiers running a criminal activity in the working unit. Each
Brigade is controlled by a Brigadier. This is the lowest group working with only the Support group.
The group is involved in burglars, thieves, prostitution, extortion, street gangs and other crimes.
Notable individual group
Groups based in and around the City of Moscow:
 Solntsevskaya Bratva: Led by Sergei "Mikhas" Mikhailov, it is Russia's largest criminal group with about
5,000 members, and is named after the Solntsevo District
 Rodina (Motherland): Moscow based crime syndicate with international influences, millionaire Natasha
Suvorova was accused of being an important member in a 2015 trial.
 Lyuberetskaya Bratva (Russian: Люберецкая Братва) or Lyubery : One of the largest criminal groups
in late 1980s – early-mid-1990s in the USSR. Based in (and originating from) Lyubertsy district of
Moscow.
 The Izmaylovskaya gang: One of Russia's oldest modern gangs, it was started in the mid- to late-1980s
by Oleg Ivanov; it has around 200–500 members in Moscow alone, and is named after the Izmaylovo
District
 The Orekhovskaya gang: Founded by Sergei "Sylvester" Timofeyev, this group reached its height in
Moscow in the 1990s. When Timofeyev died, Sergei Butorin took his place. However, he was
sentenced to jail for life in 2011.
Groups based in other parts of Russia and the former Soviet Union:
 The Dolgoprudnenskaya gang: Russia's second largest criminal group. ]
Originally from the City
of Dolgoprudny.
 The Grekov Gang: Named after Grecoff Bradlik, this group has been known to dominate Saint
Petersburg and has branches in Montreal, Canada; the man most associated with them is Vladimir
Kumarin.

4.  The Slonovskaya gang was one of the strongest criminal groups in CIS in the 1990s. It was based
in Ryazan. It had a long-term war with other criminal groups of the city
(Ayrapetovskaya, Kochetkovskie, etc.)
 The Uralmash gang of Yekaterinburg.
 The Chechen mafia is one of the largest ethnic organized crime groups operating in the former Soviet
Union next to established Russian mafia groups.
 The Georgian mafia is regarded as one of the biggest, powerful and influential criminal networks in
Europe, which has produced the biggest number of "thieves in law" in all former USSR countries.
 The Mkhedrioni was a paramilitary group involved in organised crime[
led by a Thief in law Jaba
Ioseliani in Georgia in the 1990s.
 The city of Kazan was known for its gang culture, which later progressed into more organised, mafia-
esque groups. This was known as the Kazan phenomenon.
Groups based in and around The United States of America:
 The Odessa Mafia: The most prominent and dominant Russian criminal group operating in the US; its
headquarters is in Brighton Beach.[3][4]
 Armenian Power, or AP-13, is a California-based crime syndicate tied to Russian and Armenian
organised crime.
Groups based in other areas:
 The Brothers' Circle: Headed by Temuri Mirzoyev, this multi-ethnic transnational group is "composed
of leaders and senior members of several Eurasian criminal groups largely based in countries of the
former Soviet Union but operating in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America In 2011, US
President Barack Obama and his administration named it one of four transnational organized crime
groups that posed the greatest threat to US national security, and sanctioned certain key members and
froze their assets. A year later, he extended the national emergency against them for another year.

5.  The Semion Mogilevich organization: Based in Budapest, Hungary and headed by the crime boss of
the same name, this group numbered approximately 250 members as of 1996. Its business is often
connected with that of the Solntsevskaya Bratva and the Vyacheslav Ivankov Organization. Aleksey
Anatolyevich Lugovkov is the second-in-command, and Vitaly Borisovich Savalovsky is the
"underboss" to Mogilevich.
 Order of Ronova: An organization with ties to Russian and Italian organized crime, based throughout
Salt Lake City, Utah, Carson City, Nevada, Tacoma, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona. It has an
estimate of 100 made members, and 400 associates.
 Gradinaru Bratva: A family started in Cleveland, Ohio, it is also known as Оргаруже, which stands for
Organized Russian Gentlemen. Founded by the Michalov family and are usually hard to spot, these
gentlemen are fierce and have their own hierarchy consisting of three leaders, one of which–Alexander
Michalov–was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2006.