Under Yeltsin, under Putin, and now it seems under Medvedev, reorganising law-enforcement agencies and overlaying new bodies on top of the existing ones has been the usual response to dealing with serious and organised crime. Cynic though I may be, this was my first thought on looking at Medvedev’s latest decree of 6 September 2008. The Interior Ministry (MVD) is to lose its specialised department for fighting organised crime and terrorism (DBOPT, but still widely known by its old acronym, UBOP) and its local branches. Investigating organised crime will simply be rolled into the work of the existing Main Directorate for Criminal Investigation (GUUR) and local CIDs, while UBOP staff will be transferred to a new body with a rather incongruous combination of roles: fighting ‘extremism’ and protecting judicial officials and witnesses.
All posts by Mark Galeotti
Medvedev’s first police reform: MVD loses specialised organised crime department
Posted by Mark Galeotti on September 11, 2008
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/medvedevs-first-police-reform-mvd-loses-specialised-organised-crime-department/
Blood Brotherhood: Chechen organised crime
I have just had published in Jane’s Intelligence Review a piece on Chechen organised crime (http://jir.janes.com/public/jir/index.shtml, 28 August 2008), and while it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to reproduce the whole article here, I thought it might be useful if I summarised some of the main findings.
Chechen organised crime is not a specific gang so much as a distinctive criminal subculture. Often known as the bratva, ‘brotherhood’ – although sometimes it is described as the ‘Chechenskaya obshchina’ or ‘Chechen commune’ – it is a characteristic mix of modern efficiency and a bandit tradition.
Posted by Mark Galeotti on September 1, 2008
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/blood-brotherhood-chechen-organised-crime/
The Intelligence War over South Ossetia
I’m interested by the continuing debate as to whether Russian intelligence proved effective or faulty over South Ossetia. My view is that Moscow undoubtedly won the intel war and what follows is based on an earlier article I wrote for Jane’s Intelligence Digest (http://jid.janes.com/public/jid/index.shtml).
Even before the Georgian attack that triggered the Russian invasion of 7 August, there had been an upsurge in intelligence and counter-intelligence work by the various antagonists. Eduard Kokoity, president of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, claimed on 4 August that Georgian intelligence officers were preparing ‘acts of terrorism.’ Possibly; certainly there have been several bomb attacks in the region, although if so, they really should have concentrated on trying to block the Roki tunnel linking North and South Ossetia. It seems that the Georgians launched an unsuccessful military attack on the tunnel in the early stages of the conflict, but were blocked by Russian and South Ossetian forces, but the tunnel could have been sabotaged in advance.
Posted by Mark Galeotti on August 28, 2008
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/the-intelligence-war-over-south-ossetia/
Initial Thoughts on Russia’s Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
A blog is usually an opportunity to assert one’s prescience, but I confess I was surprised that Moscow moved to formal recognition of these pseudo-states – although once it became the subject of a parliamentary debate the writing was on the wall, as nothing ends up passed there that hasn’t already been green-lighted by the Kremlin. The ‘if Abkhazia and South Ossetia why not Chechnya?’ point is obvious enough, but to me there are several other, more important questions.
Posted by Mark Galeotti on August 26, 2008
https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/initial-thoughts-on-russia%e2%80%99s-recognition-of-abkhazia-and-south-ossetia/
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