Putin's Magic Circle How Members of Vladimir Putin's Inner Circle are Involved in Illegal Activities and how this Demonstrates the Extent of Corruption in Russia

By Jim Colajuta

Following the economically catastrophic 1990s, Russia has witnessed a significant recovery on the international stage since Vladimir Putin was elected president in 2000. Antagonism between Russia and the West has developed with Russia's ascent. This hostility reached a fever pitch in 2014 when Russian troops annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The goal of this book was to demonstrate the relationship between organized crime and members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle and the impact of organized crime methods and conduct on Russian government officials. To explain this, this book examines how four members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Igor Sechin, Sergei Glazyev, Viktor Zolotov, and Nikolai Patrushev, are involved in illegal activity similar to that of organized crime groups, and how their behavior is similar to that of the leaders of these groups.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Mar 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201719265

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

Organized crime has always significantly influenced Russian politics, society, and the economy. The Russian Mafia, also known as the Russkaya Mafiya, is not a single criminal organization or group of mobsters. In the context of organized crime, the Russian Mafia is the umbrella name for all Russian organized crime (ROC). The National Criminal Justice Reference Service defines organized crime as crime perpetrated by criminal organizations whose existence has continuity over time and between crimes. They use systematic violence and corruption to facilitate their criminal activities. ROC, however, is not entirely encompassed by the usual concept of organized crime. In addition to the definition above, it is a sophisticated network throughout Russian society whose operations include extortion, fraud, cargo theft, prostitution, drug- and arms trafficking, and more. ROC has infiltrated society's higher echelons, businesses, state enterprises, and government. Organized crime has considerably impacted the Russian government's and society's frameworks today. One way it has influenced is the transfer of organized criminal tactics and conduct to Russian government personnel. The goal of this book is to examine how four members of Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Igor Sechin, Sergei Glazyev, Viktor Zolotov, and Nikolai Patrushev, are involved in illegal activity that resembles that of organized crime groups, and how their behavior is similar to that of the leaders of these