In the 1990s, Boris Yeltsin expressed his concern – perhaps tinged with a perverse sense of pride – that Russia was becoming a “superpower of crime”. It is crucial that European countries and the European Union as a whole develop sharper and more effective responses to the threat. Organised crime groups have already been used by the Kremlin as instruments of intelligence activity and political influence and are likely to become an even greater problem as Russian’s campaign to undermine Western unity and effectiveness continues. What makes RBOC a particularly serious and timely challenge is the growing evidence of connections between such criminal networks and the Kremlin’s state security apparatus, notably the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), military intelligence (GRU), and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Police are looking for the kinds of street-level ‘invader’ or ‘colonist’ gangs seen in the 1990s, rather than peering behind the curtain of indigenous organised crime groups to reveal their Russian connections. European policing is behind the curve when it comes to fighting Russian-based organised crime, as its understanding of these gangs is outdated. However, it takes different forms in different countries and largely works with – indeed, often behind – indigenous European gangs. It is a powerful and pervasive force on the European continent. Today, Russian-based organised crime (RBOC) is responsible for around one-third of the heroin on Europe’s streets, a significant amount of non-European people trafficking, as well as most illegal weapons imports. “We have the best of both worlds: From Russia we have strength and safety, and in Europe we have wealth and comfort.” Retired (he says) Russian criminal, 2016 Leverage diplomatic ties where possible.Provide for better inclusion of the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre in all activities.Foster increased exchange between national intelligence agencies and police forces.Build cooperative relationships between intelligence agencies and vulnerable local communities.Create a common European approach to combat money-laundering.European states and institutions need to consider RBOC a security as much as a criminal problem, and adopt measures to combat it, including concentrating on targeting their assets, sharing information between security and law-enforcement agencies, and accepting the need to devote political and economic capital to the challenge.Russian-based organised crime groups in Europe have been used for a variety of purposes, including as sources of ‘black cash’, to launch cyber attacks, to wield political influence, to traffic people and goods, and even to carry out targeted assassinations on behalf of the Kremlin.The Russian state is highly criminalised, and the interpenetration of the criminal ‘underworld’ and the political ‘upperworld’ has led the regime to use criminals from time to time as instruments of its rule.Today, Russian criminals operate less on the street and more in the shadows: as allies, facilitators and suppliers for local European gangs and continent-wide criminal networks.
Over the past 20 years, the role of Russian organised crime in Europe has shifted considerably.
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