Russia

When the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991, the republics that had been its constituent republics became fifteen independent nations. By far [Page 1424]the largest of these countries is Russia, which is itself a federative state composed of numerous smaller regions and territories. Chechnya, which has been much in the news because of two major wars there since 1994, is one such subregion of Russia. Chechnya also happens to be a major source of Russian organized crime.

Prior to the Soviet era (1917–1991), czars ruled Russia. One of the more prevalent crimes during the czarist period was theft—of wood or produce, for example—from the czar's properties. The thieves' rationalization was that property that belonged to the czar (i.e., to the state) did not belong to anyone, or belonged to everyone, and thus was fair game to be taken. Although not unique to Russia, this sort of rationalization is important, because it reflects the origins of the division between permissible and impermissible crimes that rose to new heights in the Soviet Union. It also continues to be very much in evidence, with a “connive to survive” mentality that fosters a black market and shadow economy and, in turn, “crony” capitalism and pervasive corruption.

Another historical oddity that remains today is the marriage between political power and crime. During the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, for example, Russian revolutionaries worked hand-in-glove with criminals to attain the spoils of political power. A similar kind of criminal-political nexus—among entrepreneurs, criminal organizations, and government officials—exists today, and explains the current nature of serious crime in Russia.

There were great hopes for freedom, democracy, and a bountiful economy in Russia after 1991. Unfortunately, many of those hopes have not materialized. Instead of enjoying the fruits of freedom and democracy and a thriving market economy, Russia has been racked by a host of social, economic, and political ills. The Russian people have been confronted with declining living standards, poor health care, rampant inflation, corruption, alcoholism, drug addiction, and surging crime rates. Russia faces a shrinking population because of declining birth rates and decreasing life expectancy, especially among Russian men. The latter is attributable to the increase in alcoholism and related diseases (Reuters News Service 1997).

The predatory nature of the Russian economy—the driving philosophy of which seems to be to steal as much as you can as fast as you can—is closely intertwined with official corruption and organized crime. One consequence for the vast majority of Russians is that life is much worse today than it was at the beginning of the 1990s. Another consequence is that the legal and criminal justice processes, and the rule of law, have been overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge of crime.