Interview · moment 4 of 23
Prison Tattoos and the Anti-State Vory Code
from Russia's Super Mafia · #98
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
2 minGuest
Galeotti describes the libertarian, anti-government ethos of the original Vorovskoy Mir, the visible tattoo culture meant to signal defiance to society, and the underworld war that erupted when some Vory started cooperating with the state.
- 6:50The original Vory were anti-government and anti-statist, with an almost libertarian streak against the Soviet model.
- 7:21Tattoos were central to Russian gangsters as a way to reject mainstream society.
- 7:38Russian criminal tattoos were designed to be visible, unlike the hidden Yakuza tattoos, to broadcast defiance and fear.
- 7:53The anti-government, anti-mainstream trend meant Vory who worked for the state caused a total break within their ranks.
- 8:10Collaboration with the state led to an underworld war between two factions of the Vory.
Japanese YakuzaRussian criminal tattoosViroskov-Ymir group