Interview · moment 8 of 23
Putin's Deal With the Gangsters
from Russia's Super Mafia · #98
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
3 minGuest
Galeotti explains Putin's history as St. Petersburg deputy mayor liaising with the Tambovskaya gang, and how as president he offered organized crime a bargain: keep committing crimes, but never challenge the state.
- 16:59Putin offered the gangsters a deal when he came to power.
- 17:17The Tambovsk gang ran St. Petersburg's dirty rackets and controlled local gasoline providers.
- 17:53A vore kept a packed suitcase under his bed in case police informants warned him of imminent arrest.
- 18:12Putin's deal: gangsters could keep committing crimes, but any challenge to the state would result in severe consequences.
- 18:33Gangsters in the 1990s were tired of turf wars and chaos, so they accepted Putin's boundaries.
- 18:45Putin sets clear limits—crime is acceptable as long as it stays inside the box of allowed behaviors.
Vladimir PutinTambovskSt. Petersburg