The Russian mafia (Bratva / Brotherhood) is a highly organized and global criminal network that emerged and expanded significantly after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990's. During this time, Russian criminals sought to establish them on the international stage, anticipating political instability and economic collapse in Russia. Their activities initially focused on illicit trade of goods, such as Afghan Heroin which they transported across Europe to sell to the local gangs rather than selling directly on the street. Over the years the russian gangsters evolved into skilled intermediaries working alongside other criminal organizations, adopting the local markets and focusing on providing services rather than attempting to control whole territories.
During the early 1990s, Russian crime groups began to expand their involvement in more illegal activities, which included drug and arms trafficking, extortion, contract killings, prostitution, and money laundering, but also deeply invested in legal businesses such as banks, oil, casinos, real estate, and import/export ventures. Some groups controlled entire sectors, like the Tambovskaya’s grip on Saint Petersburg’s energy market or Solntsevskaya’s dominance over Moscow’s casinos and transportation hubs. These organizations were known for their extreme violence, internal power struggles, and sophisticated methods of infiltrating politics and law enforcement. Leaders like Semion Mogilevich, Sergei "Sylvester" Timofeev, and Alexander Khabarov forged ties with politicians, police, and even intelligence agencies. The Uralmash gang, for example, openly supported political candidates and formed a public movement to gain legitimacy.
Initially operating only within Russia and soon after in other countries of the former Soviet Union, some of the Russian criminal organizations quickly expanded their reach in the 1990s. Taking advantage of open borders and the increasing globalization of markets, they extended their operations beyond the former Soviet republics, establishing strongholds in Western European countries such as United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, as well as in Hungary and Israel and Czech Republic. Their presence abroad was often facilitated by connections with local political and economic elites, the use of front companies, and infiltration into legitimate markets, making their operations particularly difficult to detect and dismantle.
As the 21st century dawned, the Russian mafia remained after the death of Aslan Usoyan. New mafia bosses sprang up, while imprisoned ones were released. Among the released were Marat Balagula and Vyacheslav Ivankov, both in 2004. The latter was extradited to Russia, but was jailed once more for his alleged murders of two Turks in a Moscow restaurant in 1992; he was cleared of all charges and released in 2005. Four years later, he was assassinated by a shot in the stomach from a sniper. Meanwhile, Monya Elson and Leonid Roytman were arrested in March 2006 for an unsuccessful murder plot against two Kyiv-based businessmen.
On 7 June 2017, 33 Russian mafia affiliates and members were arrested and charged by the FBI, US Customs and Border Protection and NYPD for extortion, racketeering, illegal gambling, firearm offenses, narcotics trafficking, wire fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, fraud on casino slot machines using electronic hacking devices; based in Atlantic City and Philadelphia, murder-for-hire conspiracy and cigarette trafficking. They were also accused of operating secret and underground gambling dens based in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and using violence against those who owed gambling debts, establishing nightclubs to sell drugs, plotting to force women associates to rob male strangers by seducing and drugging them with chloroform, and trafficking over 10,000 pounds of stolen chocolate confectionery; the chocolate was stolen from shipment containers. It is believed that 27 of the arrested are connected to the Russian mafia in Los Santos, on the head of the crew stands Artyom "Medved" Lebedev".
As Artyom was sent to America after leaving a 15 year sentence behind him in motherland, he set up shop in San Fierro, San Andreas, met with the other Russian gangsters and they started a organization which was deeply connected to the Bratva in St. Petersburg.
The San Fierro Bratva focused on weapon and drug trafficking, most metal that came through was from home, Russian steel they called it. The San Fierro Bratva is known for being in the local business's, Clubs and Bars are owned by them, if not? They are paying tax to them.
Artyom "Medved" Lebedev
Leader of the organization, Medved stands for Bear a symbol of power.
Dimitri "Wolf" Volkov
Dimitri is the enforcer of the whole organization, he oversees the drug production / trafficking, weapon shipments and businesses.
Boris "Molotok" Antonov
Boris is the youngest and wildest of the whole organization, their main hitman overseeing the hitman and protection jobs.
Mikhail "Kamen" Morozov
Kamen is the leader of drug supply to local gangs and smaller crews.
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