Thieves: The History of Organized Crime in Russia

Abroad they are the "Russian mafia", for us they are bandits, but both here and there they are called "thieves". They are everywhere - in movies, books, crime reports and, of course, on the streets. Thieves' jargon has entered everyday speech, chanson is one of the most popular musical genres, and business is still under pressure from the criminal world. At the same time, "thieves" are constantly changing and adapting to the demands of the moment: they abandon the principles for which their predecessors died, adopt tactics from foreign "colleagues", master new technologies and skillfully disguise themselves. The book by the British political scientist, specialist in international crime and Russian special services Mark Galeotti is a fascinating journey through the history of the thieves' world of Russia: from Yaponchik (1891-1919) to Yaponchik (1940-2009). Galeotti talks about the birth and death of old "concepts", explains the key differences between Vladivostok and St. Petersburg organized crime groups, and also shows how the inexorable logic of the criminal world works.