The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia by Mark Galeotti (PDF)

Description

The first English-language book to document the men who emerged from the gulags to become Russia’s much-feared crime class: the vory v zakoneMark Galeotti is the go-to expert on organized crime in Russia, consulted by governments and police around the world. Now, Western readers can explore the fascinating history of the vory v zakone, a group that has survived and thrived amid the changes brought on by Stalinism, the Cold War, the Afghan War, and the end of the Soviet experiment.The vory—as the Russian mafia is also known—was born early in the twentieth century, largely in the Gulags and criminal camps, where they developed their unique culture. Identified by their signature tattoos, members abided by the thieves’ code, a strict system that forbade all paid employment and cooperation with law enforcement and the state. Based on two decades of on-the-ground research, Galeotti’s captivating study details the vory’s journey to power from their early days to their adaptation to modern-day Russia’s free-wheeling oligarchy and global opportunities beyond.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I enjoyed his the book was out forth. Not a ton of politics. Some of the people in this book deserve their own book.

⭐From page 98-99:… ” As a result, in 1995, Gorbachev … (saw) time lost through alcohol-related disabilities fell 30 percent between 1984 and 1987..”From page 107:” … Put together, all these processes meant that the contours of the overt gangsterism of the 1990s were already becoming visible in the late 1980s”….The book is well thought out, with some interesting arguments and facts. However, these obviously glaring date errors put the writing into question. Writing is all about credibility, when I read about something happening in the 1990s affecting the 1980s, I want to put the book down.Shrug. Good book, if you know your dates and can decipher what he’s really trying to say.Hmmm…

⭐Gives a good understanding of russian mob mentality. Enjoyed the various proverbs a unique inside view in mobster culture and mentality.

⭐Still reading and I’m not surprised at how deep the Russian Mobs are. The history of Russia brutality towards it’s people isn’t new, because it’s still strong. They still use the Cossacks as a means of a vrowo control. These gangs are now your “Oil Giants” the men who surrounds Putin and compromise his personal friends “super rich billionaires”, This book is worth reading because it enlightens you about how these enterwines it’s self into the Russians daily lives. Will update as I complete my readings.

⭐If you’re a post middle-aged man with a fledgling intellect who gets giddy of every time the words ‘Soviet’ and ‘corruption’ appear in the same sentence, then this book may be for you. It reads like a rushed together 5th Grade book report. It’s very redundant. Not a lot of information you couldn’t find via a cursory Google search.This is an example of the publisher trying to take advantage of all the current hype around Russia by putting out a sub-standard ‘beach read’ with a title that sounds exciting, attempting to appeal to grown men who’ve taken to reverting to adolescent male fantasies during the twilight of their own efficacy.The author clearly has an ax to grind with the Soviets, which comes through in his writing. I personally wasn’t looking for a commentary on the Soviet economic system by some pulp writer, but rather a detailed history of organized crime, which I did not receive.I would pass on this book. If you really want to read about ‘The Thieves’ you might as well read the relevant chapters from Gulag Archipelago.

⭐Gangsterism and narcos seem like the new business model for industry and governments world wide. Good read. Wild world of Russian gangs, politicos, and administration.

⭐Good read but nothing new if one is familiar with modern Russia. For those new to the autocratic, oligopoly that is Putin’s Russia then an excellent overview of how the state and organized crime are in essence two faces of the same coin.

⭐I got into Russian Crime and the Vory because of a criminal defense engagement. Lots of interesting history and information here, and it enabled me to hold my own in the court room.

⭐This has many of the qualities of good popular history/documentary – an inherently intriguing subject, sensationalism (which, frankly, is pleasurable), lots of detail – without actually being good popular history/documentary, and that is mostly due to do with the author’s approach. He seems to accept every fact he has amassed (and there are an awful lot of them) as equally valid. We are told that gangs of feral children in parts of c19th Moscow were so predatory that citizens could not walk the streets – and instead of viewing the claim as likely a piece of Trumpian hyperbole, it simply gets accepted. In an act of quite silly logical gymnastics, we are told that Stalin was personally responsible for the rise of Russian organised crime. The whole book is like this. Actual fact gets mixed in with scare stories, rumour and bias as if all were equally valid. The first result is a book apparently without a core, a developed, balanced view of the subject that is DRAWN from this material, just a lot of sensationalist ‘stuff’. It also makes for a work that you don’t feel you can trust, which, given that this is non-fiction, is a problem. I admit that I had to fight my way to the finish, and that involved skipping a lot. And I did end up resenting the effort.

⭐Excellent account of the historical development of the very. A fascinating insight to the world of thieves and gangsters in Russia.The book is extremely well researched and it is easy to appreciate the author’s passion for his subject. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.My one reservation though is that I cannot share Mr Galleoti’s optimism for the future. It seems to me that Putin has a clear view as regards who he will tolerate indulging in criminality and who he will not. The Russian backed rebels fighting in easter Ukraine are just one such example. It is also clear that while places like the City of London, Cyprus and Malta hold out welcoming arms for ‘dodgy money’ then the vory will always have somewhere to ‘launder’ their ill gotten gains.I cannot blame him for his optimism though; after all he’s extremely knowledgeable in this field.

⭐Very well written, objective, accessible, very interesting, explains a lot. Professor Galeotti continues to enhance his reputation as supremely knowledgeable and an efficient and effective communicator on this and related subjects. If you’ve ever wondered how Russia is run by such a gang of criminals, thieves and murderers, this tome provides an excellent background into the causes leading to the current parlous State. I can’t recommend it enough. (No, I am not Mark’s mate.)

⭐This book is fascinating and the author’s impressive academic knowledge shines through right from the start. Although the title may seem to be cashing in on the popularity of all things “McMafia” (and I admit this was what attracted me!) it is a well researched and serious book but written with a clarity accessible to all. I learned a lot about modern Russian politics in the process of being shocked and amazed at what is going on in a country most of us know so little about. Books written by academics can be dry as they try to distil a lifetime’s study in to one opus and are anxious not to omit a single detail of their passion. Galeotti however wears his knowledge lightly and in so doing has written an enormously interesting and entertaining book but which still leaves a comfortable, warm glow inside that you have read something important.

⭐This is an authoritative and wide-ranging study of the origins and evolution of the Russian mafia that says a lot about the state of Russia as a whole. Its extensive notes and bibliography give it authenticity, and it’s a good read, lots of anecdotal stuff to bring things alive as well as detail on the different types of “vory” and how they interacted with each other, with the authorities and with business. While quite depressing, it also seemed balanced and managed to end on an upbeat note.

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