The Russian mafia is considered one of the most dangerous groups in the world, and is without doubt the largest criminal organization today. Some people estimate their numbers are in excess of 300,000 members, and the list of their illegal acts is out the door. They are involved in countless crimes such as extortion, drug trafficking, auto theft, trafficking in stolen art, money laundering, contract killings, arms dealing, trading nuclear material, prostitution, oil deals and many others.

Failing states tend to provide a haven for crime groups to evolve and grow stronger, and Russia was no different. The fall of the Soviet Union created an economy heavily driven by the black market, which gave people many lucrative opportunities to make money in seedy dealings. This led to the Russian mafia becoming involved in many of these dealings, and their numbers and power grew rapidly. During the 1990’s, many people believed the Russian mafia was a significant threat to the U.S., because they still had animosity towards America leftover from the cold war. Their involvement in nuclear dealings made many international agents very worried for the security of the United States. So not only was their effect felt in Russia, but it branched out to many other countries, making them a transnational crime organization. In addition to nuclear dealings, their involvement in illegal arms sales also posed a great security threat in many countries, as weapons were being sold to other countries involved in civil wars, making war much easier for countries that would otherwise have a hard time sustaining violence with their own means and weapons.

As with most crime groups, the Russian mafia is nearly impossible to defeat or even affect their actions in any ways. Their structure is a sort of tier system, where the bottom 2 tiers take orders from the top 2 tiers, and the leaders seldom get their hands dirty. The lower tiers commit most of the prosecutable crimes, making it very difficult to arrest and charge the leaders of the organizations, since they can’t tie them to any of the crimes they have ordered.

In my opinion, this is the most threatening crime group in the world today, because they are such a global force. Unlike the Yakuza, the Italian mafia, and the Mexican cartels, which only affect a handful of countries, the Russian mafia’s reach is estimated at over 50 countries around the world. This is clearly a case where Russia’s failure to eliminate or hinder their development has now made their existence an international concern. This article illustrates how the Russian mafia has played a significant role in fueling the drug problems in America, and most likely in many other countries as well. Also, their involvement in black market nuclear sales is a particularly troubling idea. It seems like this could lead to nuclear weapons falling into some very undesirable hands.

The part I find most interesting about groups like this is their sheer size. The Russian mafia is over 300,000 strong, and the Yakuza is around 80,000, it just baffles me how law enforcement could even begin to have any effect on organizations this big. It makes me think that these groups are going to be around forever, and will only become more dangerous and powerful. Their involvement in so many different sectors is also amazing. They have a terrible effect on the economy, human security, national security, and so many others. They are like small armies operating on a global scale. I don’t know how countries should go about stopping groups like these, but I think it is very important they are kept in check to the best of our abilities, as they pose serious international security threats.