Mafia origin:
The Russian mafia could be tracked all the way to back in the 1700s. During this time, the mafia consisted of poor peasants. These peasants would steal from the government and give back to the poor, and at the time, they were respected. As time went on, these criminals began to group up and oppose the government. Each group had their own code of conduct and strict loyalty to one another. The mafia came alive during the Bolshevik Revolution (led to Soviet Union). The mafia helped the protesters fight the police and the Petrogad army garrisons protecting the Tsar Nicholas II. The Revolution was led by Vladimir Lenin who then transitioned the criminals into the Soviet era after the Tsar had abdicated his rule.
Soviet Union Era:
When Stalin came to power, enemies of the country would be sent to the Gulag. The Gulag was home to millions of criminals that worked in the Bratva (Russian mafia). In these Soviet labor camps, the mafia developed their hierarchy. The “elite” of the criminals often recognized themselves by specific tattoos. Crime in the gulags included murder, theft, rape, and constant abuse. The criminals lived their lives like this every day until Hitler and his army invaded Russia. When the Germans came, Stalin needed more men and so he went to the prison camps and asked the criminals to fight. Joining Stalin meant joining the government, and that was a strict violation of the Bratva. Stalin offered freedom to those who would fight.
Scab’s War:
However, after the war had ended, Stalin put all the remaining criminals who survived back into the gulag. The Bratva saw these men as traders and put them down in the hierarchy. Those who were thrown to the bottom decided to form their own group and started to work with the prison officials, which led them to have comfortable lives in the prison. The Bratva didn’t approve of this and so tension was created within the groups. The existing Bratva started killing the traders one by one and war started. The prison officials approved of the violence, thinking it would be better if they just killed each other off.
End of Stalin:
When Stalin died and the Soviet Union collapsed, about 8 million criminals were released from the Gulags. These “new” men no longer followed the strict conduct of the mafia in the past, instead they lived on their own terms and often worked with the government. Corruption spread in Russia during the 1960s and these criminals thrived in it. During this time of corruption, corrupt politicians and officials ruled the country alongside with the new Bratva. In 1970, the Bratva created illegal businesses and gave birth to the black market. These illegal business thrived because the government ignored them, as most of the officials in the government were allies with Bratva themselves.
Bratva Expansion:
In the 1970s, the United States expanded immigration laws and let Soviet Jews enter the U.S. These Soviets settled in Brighton Beach, south of Brooklyn. Brighton Beach is where the Bratva began their crime in the U.S. The Russians brought their existing black market to the U.S. Led by Evsei Agron, the Bratva brough weapons, drugs, military grade vehicles, etc. The first crime in the U.S. by the Russian mafia was the Potato Bag heist. Russians disguised themselves as merchants and convinced customers to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for what they though was gold ruble, when really they were just potatoes. Through America, the Russians met the Italian-American crime lords which led to their alliance soon after. The two crime families are different in power in that the both had different limits. Both are similar in their strict loyalty to their “brothers”.
Bratva Hierarchy:
Each member in the mafia has their own place that reports to the man in front of them. The Pakhan is the boss or Krestnii Otets (god father) of the whole mafia. The way the mafia is split up is by four groups, and the Pakhan is the overlord of all of the four criminal cells in the unit. The next man in charge would be the Sovietnik; the councilor of the Pakhan. The Italian- American boss also has a councilor also known as Consigliere. The Sovietnik is the advisor of all of the Pakhan’s will. The Sovietnik is at the Pakhan’s side at all times and is the Pakhan’s most trusted man. Next in line are the Brigadiers; the men who are in charge of the small groups of men. The Italian mafia has a bridgadier too, but they are known as Caporegime. There is one Brigadier for each of the four groups, who instructs missions to the Boevik; or his men. The Brigadier reports to the Pakhan and the Boevik report to the Brigaider. The Boevik are the men who do all the action for the mafia, they are the soldiers. The lowest rank in the mafia is the Shestyorka, who is the messenger boy for the mafia.