The emergence of modern organized crime in the USSR and Russian Federation

The podcast episode provides an overview of the modern history of organized crime in the USSR and Russian Federation. It discusses the development of the Russian mafia and clarifies that the depiction of Russians as criminals in Western media is not entirely accurate. The umbrella term 'Russian mafia' actually encompasses a diverse range of ethnic groups. The episode explores how organized crime thrived in the Soviet Union, even during Stalin's regime, and how it played a role in the country's downfall. The first significant wave of organized crime occurred in the 1960s and was influenced by factors such as rapid urbanization and economic failures. The discussion also touches on the existence of traditional Russian criminal underworlds, known as 'thieves in law,' and the growth of the shadow economy in response to Soviet economic deficiencies.