Blood. Money. Intelligence | There’s a reason why the good die young…

Welcome to the first feature article in the Gangsters’ Paradise series where I bring to light a few things which go unheard of in today’s so called blossoming beautiful new developing supernations…
For a long time the world’s East has been shunned as nothing but poor or ‘developing’ in some cases even branded third world. In some cases it was, but now the East seems to be shining much brighter than the West even through the much missed Enlightenment days. With the re-surfacing of two new powers in particular- Russia and China - I’ve found it interesting to actually take a closer look at these sprouting dreamlands and who it really is behind their development. You wouldn’t be at fault if you thought China and Russia’s facelift is all due to their economic and industrial booms, and in part it is, but keep in mind that everything starts at street level. And in countries such as China and Russia the city’s streets are run by a complex breed of what I’d prefer to call government-affiliated-thugs who belong to fraternities of black market businessmen (criminal syndicates).

Moscow Milk:
When capitalism entered Russia the city turned into a snowy Wild West. The whole city pretty much became a grab-what-you-can scene with all the power players making the most brutal moves possible. Corruption reigned supreme, with two main players on the table – Six business heavyweights who took to capturing Russia’s politics, economy, and media on one side and the government-affiliated-thugs who along with their family members began to work on the new Moscow.

Into the Players’ Circle:
The government in Moscow estimates the Russian mafia controls 40% of private business and 60% of state-owned companies. Unofficial sources say 80% of Russian banks are controlled either directly or indirectly by criminals. What is it about the Russian Mob that totally puts to shame any other criminal syndicates that have risen in different countries? Well, pretty much exactly what the title of my website indicates – Blood. Money. And intelligence. Sure, all organized crime empires have utilized and played with blood, money and intelligence, but the Organyzatsia deals with them on steroids.
On the Blood front we have a mixture of thieves and thugs who survived the Communist government’s tyrannical and unregretful cruelty towards anyone who opposed it. Decades of negligence, making Moscow’s streets a breeding ground for the toughest criminals on the planet. Add to that the hundreds of ex-KGB men and veterans of the Afghan war veterans offered their skills to the crime bosses after the collapse of Communism and there’s no need to get into detail about the vicious determination of the Organyzatsia to obtain power and wealth. I’m not going to even bother with figures, let’s just call it ‘countless’…
When it comes to Money the Red Mafiya made a shit load on gambling , prostitution, sex slaves, slavery in general, a lucrative drug market – mainly heroin, laundering and pretty much anything that is rotten, grimy and makes cash. There were also the immense opportunities for protection money as new business hopefuls tried to establish in the new ‘free’ democratic environment. Not realizing that it’s almost impossible for small businesses to survive the pressure of contradictory laws and regulations, bureaucracy and criminals in Moscow. But what separates the Russian mob is that they impressively expanded operations into schemes that allowed them to defraud legitimate markets such as stock markets such as Wall Street, global banks and big businesses by improvising the use of computer literate members who knew a thing or two about hacking.
Which brings me to the next instrument in power – intelligence. The Russians don’t play the game of power like most. They play the game like chess. Calculated moves, sacrifices and sometimes even stalemates where instead of wasting time and energy fighting an opponent to the end they recognize the importance of laying down any differences and working together. Such is the case with the merger of the criminal underground and the ex government officials and KGB officers.
Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, the KGB was a powerful agency within the security/investigation department of the Soviet government. Corrupt officials and corrupt practices were considered synonymous with the KGB. The KGB no longer officially existed after the Soviet Union breakup, but a large portion of its officials found subsequent positions within current Russian government or high-level positions in non-government employment.
Protected by high-ranking officials- some of whom were members of an underground fraternity, others merely ‘associates’, the Organyzatsia became a tolerated and accepted part of Russian society.

You wont find any articles on the internet telling you that the Moscow you see today wasn’t built from the good will of the government or the people. Most of it was built with bloody hands and dirty money, you can be sure of that. What exactly have these dark forces built? Well at one stage Moscow has become the Casino capital of the world. Housing more gambling joints than Vegas after the public demanded that the Casinos be moved out of Moscow before it threw its people into deeper poverty. The gambling industry is said to be worth more than $6 Billion and owned and operated by the Red Mafiya. But at the end of 2007, President Putin declared that the Casinos will have to move out to designated gambling areas. Now in the shells of these giant money machines lie prime real estate for exclusive western fashion brands to set up shop. As well as that, an array of 5 star restaurants and cafes all cater the rich wives of millionaire oil and aluminum magnates. And there’s the Platinum Gentlemen’s Club one of the newer and more exclusive strip clubs in the city for just to kill time for when the wife is shopping of course.
The Russian capital is indeed turning into a showcase. The old apartment buildings are knocked down to make way for so-called “elite housing” that sells for $10,000 a square meter and low-rise neighborhoods disappear under the shadow of skyscrapers. Big buildings bring bigger profits. New streets, tunnels and bridges must also be built. Moscow is a city in the midst of transformation. Sure, I know that not ALL of this new transformation comes from dirty blood money. I understand Russia has a legitimate minerals boom that’s created Oligarchs who also contribute to the rise of Russia, but you must remember one important factor. One in which everyday interaction with corrupt government officials is a necessity for an organizations profits and power –
Oh yeah, did I mention the mob has a hand in all the constrction companies and pretty much a construction tax on anything being built in Moscow? There really is a fuzzy line that separates a legitimate or illegitimate organization in the Russian playground isn’t there? …

-85eternal May 2008