Expansion of the Russian mafia on the German territory

Russia

As reported this month, Russian mafia is gaining power in Germany. Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) estimates that up to 40 000 individuals who live in Germany may be connected to Russian organized crime groups. It should be kept in mind that these numbers come only from reported offenses, which means that, in reality, more men can be involved in the movement.

Groups are active in the most common mafia fields: drug and human trafficking, tax fraud, protection money, prostitution, vehicle theft and counterfeit documents. But, what is more surprising – the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch says – is that the ex-Soviet Union mafias dabble in less popular and less intricate organized crime domaines such as theft or store robberies.

It might appear surprising but 5 000 prisoners in Germany, that is  8% to 10% inmates, are either Russian-speaking (not only Russians but also Abkhazians, Georgians and Turkmens) or immigrants from the Russian Federation. That provides the Russian speaking organized groups with a vast market for member recruitment. The result of the observed phenomenon is an increased level of cooperation between the BKA and Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).