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| 11 | %% Image chosen via Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1641909637002600200 |
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| 14 | [[quoteright:350:[[Film/ThievesByLaw https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thieves_by_law_documentary_cover.png]]]] |
| 15 | [[caption-width-right:350:Stay away from people like me...]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ->''"A fellow prisoner once told me he will kill my family, cut out my tongue, eyes, burn off my skin with acid and shut down my business. Well, he ''did'' kill my family. But I still have my eyes, tongue, skin. Most important: I'm still in business. Because I understood the man. So, I was ready. See, we Russians don't make threats -- only promises."'' |
| 18 | -->-- '''Vadim Solonick''', ''Series/Boomtown2002'' |
| 19 | |
| 20 | TheMafia -- [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace but Russian!]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | OK, it's a little more complicated than that. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Russian mobsters engage in all the same activities as [[TheMafia Italian mobsters]] but are typically depicted as [[RuthlessForeignGangsters much more openly ruthless, sadistic, brutal, and vicious]] -- in other words, totally lacking [[WickedCultured the veneer of class and sophistication]] that [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster many depictions]] of the Italian Mafia have [[TheCoconutEffect built up around the organization]]. The thinking is that because they had to operate in [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn the Soviet Union]], UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia or some other former Soviet countries, they are by definition [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong stronger than your average mobster]]. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | They're known outside of Russia as the ''Organizatsiya'' ("The Organization") and within Russia as the ''Bratva'' ("The Brotherhood"). Members are called ''tolkachi'' ("pushers") or ''bratki'' ("bros"). But there are a lot of different terms for these guys, all with their own distinctions: |
| 27 | * A ''bratok'' (lit. "bro") is a low-ranking Mafiya soldier. These are stereotyped as [[TheDitz extremely stupid]] and sometimes [[FashionVictimVillain tastelessly flamboyant]]. They may be recruited from the population of petty street GangBangers called ''gopniki''. |
| 28 | * An ''avtoritet'' (lit. "authority") is a "middle manager" of the Bratva. Usually an old, crusty, experienced bro who proved to be smart enough to survive and outlive his peers. |
| 29 | * A ''vor v zakone'' (lit. "thief in law") is a high-ranking Mafiya member, like an Italian "wiseguy". Traditionally, ''vory v zakone'' lived by an ascetic code of conduct that forbade having a family or large living expenses. This code included a requirement that a ''vor v zakone'' have a criminal record, in keeping with the old proverb that a thief's home is the prison, and there was also an elaborate "coronation" ritual by which one formally became a ''vor v zakone''. But nowadays, that code and those traditions are a thing of the past, and one can simply pay one's way to becoming a ''vor v zakone'' (usually by a large endowment to the "''obshchak''", the underground mutual help fund-cum-expense account). The [[DirtyCommunists Communist influence]] in the organization means that this is the highest rank (''i.e.'' there's no Capo equivalent in the Mafiya, there's just really powerful ''vory v zakone''), and this also traditionally allowed the Mafiya to operate in smaller, more independent groups, which made it unlikely for the whole network to collapse if one group gets taken down. |
| 30 | * A ''tolkach'' (lit. "pusher", possibly an outdated term) is a nonviolent crook with big connections, who uses these connections to help people for a price. Unlike TheDon of an Italian Mob, a ''tolkach'' doesn't directly command lesser bros, but he knows many people who do. In modern times, these people are more associated with government graft than the Mafiya proper (in this case, the term ''reshala'', lit. "solver", is more apt). |
| 31 | * A ''suka'' or ''ssuchenniy'' (lit. "bitch") is any former member of the Mafiya who tries to reform and aid the law. These are the enemies of any Mafiya members, and that's why you should [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch never ever]] call any Russian criminal a bitch. A variant is the ''avtomatchik'' (lit. "machine-gunner"), who left prison to fight in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and found themselves back in prison after the war -- even they were considered a kind of ''suka''. This led to a long-standing taboo (since abandoned) of accepting people who once wore a uniform into the Mafiya and led to the bloody "''Suchyi Voyny''" ("Bitch Wars") in TheGulag between the end of WWII in 1945 and the death of Stalin in 1953 (at which point changes in the Gulag led to the separation of the avtomatchiks, who won the Bitch Wars, from the more traditional vory). |
| 32 | |
| 33 | These are also distinct from the ''gopnik'', or Russian GangBanger,[[note]]A noted Canadian-American essayist/commentator of Russian Jewish descent by the name of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Gopnik Adam Gopnik]] was simultaneously amused, horrified, and mystified to find this out[[/note]] who's basically just the garden-variety petty criminal youth from the WrongSideOfTheTracks. They're not in the Mafiya -- they're just interested in petty crime and beating the crap out of rival ''gopniki''. In Russian media, they frequently overlap with the LowerClassLout stereotype. A relatively recent development is the "AUE" subculture, which consists mostly of underage ''gopniki'' who still aren't in the Mafiya but pretend they are and really want to join. Actual career criminals tend to see them as useful idiots, but there is evidence that the Mafiya has started to recruit from their ranks. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | Organized crime has existed in Russia since UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia and the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]], but it really exploded with Soviet collapse, when newly unemployed [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets military men]] (and others [[FormerRegimePersonnel with the right skill set for this sort of thing]]) found themselves suddenly unable to find work. They put their skills -- and the newly abandoned military hardware -- to use. The desperation of UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia also saw the Mafiya dispense with old traditions like the uniform taboo and the restrictive lifestyle of the ''vory v zakone'' as a matter of practicality -- or perhaps {{greed}}, as even rule-abiding mobsters will never turn down a golden opportunity to [[MoneyDearBoy make a lot of money]]. The Mafiya was totally pervasive in Russia in TheNineties, to the point that Russia was sometimes called a "Mafia state" and most small and medium businessmen had to employ them for "[[ProtectionRacket protection]]". |
| 36 | |
| 37 | Prison gang culture was historically very important to the Mafiya, in part because no professional criminal in the Soviet Union could hope to evade imprisonment for long. Prison gangs in TheGulag were branches and schools of the Mafiya called ''blatnye'' or ''otritsalovo'', being in prison was a requirement for being a ''vor v zakone'', and someone with no prison history at all was limited to ''gopnik'' or ''bratok'' status. Nowadays, with a less efficient police force, guard-sponsored gangs tend to have more influence. The Mafiya retains a system of symbolic [[TattooedCrook tattoos]] that reflect not only a member's position in the hierarchy, but also their criminal and prison history -- including symbols for "[[TheStoolPigeon snitch]]" and "[[PrisonRape prison sex slave]]", naturally applied forcibly. Various offenses against the prison gang, including not contributing to the community slush fund (and "eating alone" as an American wiseguy might put it), could be punishable by demotion of the offender to the latter status, with the tattoos being applied as a MarkOfShame. |
| 38 | |
| 39 | Something never seen in Western media -- and even rarely in Russian media -- is ''Fenya'', an extensive and idiosyncratic ThievesCant that makes true ''Bratva'' dialogues indecipherable to civilians. Western productions don't use it because they have [[LostInTranslation enough problems]] with regular Russian, and Russian productions would have to rely on FootnoteFever or assume that viewers [[ViewersAreGeniuses have extensive knowledge]] of the criminal world -- although it was so pervasive in Russia that odds are, an average Russian who was reasonably plugged in during TheNineties (especially an ex-''gopnik'') will understand Fenya, if a bit erratically. ''Gopniki'' will try to speak Fenya as well, with varying degrees of success (and usually with [[ClusterFBomb a lot of needless swearing]]). |
| 40 | |
| 41 | Aside from the Bratva proper, there are also ethnic Mafiya in Russia, mostly from the Caucasus, Ukraine, and Armenia. Some of them follow the usual Bratva mold, but are even more vicious and ruthless. Some (most famously the Chechen Mafiya, who are more similar to the Sicilians in their clannish organization and insular nature) do not, and are even worse. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | See also {{Yakuza}}, FormerRegimePersonnel, TheMafia, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, TheCartel, TheIrishMob and RedScare. Often the RuthlessForeignGangsters in works set after 1991 since they are portrayed as stereotypically linked to [[HumanTraffickers human trafficking]] alongside other Eastern European criminals. KosherNostra also overlaps with the Mafiya since some members are of Jewish descent such as Evsei Agron[[note]]"The Godfather" of the Russian Mafia in America[[/note]] and Semion Moglievich[[note]]Considered by most of his contemporaries to be the "Bosses of all bosses" and "The most dangerous gangster in the world" by the FBI[[/note]]. See also UsefulNotes/SpellOurNameWithAPo for their uniformed counterparts, otherwise not much different. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | ---- |
| 46 | !!Examples: |
| 47 | |
| 48 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 51 | * A ''vor v zakone'' and his crew feature in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ix24IV-VEg a commercial]] for [[spoiler:''M&M candies'']], of all things! |
| 52 | [[/folder]] |
| 53 | |
| 54 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 55 | * In ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', the Mafiya is represented in [[WretchedHive Roanapur]] by Hotel Moscow, a group of [[FromCamouflageToCriminal ex-Airborne Troops]] led by TheBaroness Balalaika. They're greatly feared in the area for their ruthlessness, personal loyalty to Balalaika, and fighting skills that are far above average for gangsters. However, it's ''heavily'' suggested later in the series that Hotel Moscow is actually a front organization for Russian intelligence that allows them to [[PlausibleDeniability deniably]] have a foothold in a potential conflict zone, similarly to the real-world Wagner Group: Balalaika is even able to act with DiplomaticImpunity in Japan at one point. |
| 56 | * [[spoiler:Simon and Dennis]] from ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''. [[spoiler:In their past, that is.]] Later volumes introduce Slon [[note]]"слон", Russian for "elephant"[[/note]] and Vorona [[note]]"ворона", Russian for "crow"[[/note]]. |
| 57 | * The manga ''Manga/{{Sanctuary}}'' has them show up near the end. |
| 58 | [[/folder]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': |
| 62 | ** Gotham City's "Little Odessa" neighborhood was controlled by organized crime originating from the old Soviet Union. |
| 63 | ** In ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'', Ariana Dzerchenko's father, who had a history working as a forger for the Bratva, was murdered when he refused to get involved in organized crime again and start forging from his print shop in Little Odessa. |
| 64 | ** Creator/GregRucka's post-''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' status quo for Gotham had ex-KGB Vassily Kosov as one of the five reigning kingpins, though he ultimately turns out to be something of a pushover when ComicBook/RasAlGhul's people start helping his rivals in a GangWar. |
| 65 | * The comic ''ComicBook/BlueEstate'' features Russian mobsters operating from the West Coast of the US. Some members are ''vor'' and have visible Russian prison tattoos. |
| 66 | * ''ComicBook/GrimmTalesOfTerror'' Volume 3 Issue No 1 ("The Invisible Man") has the eponymous Invisible man (real name Tom) attempt, in his invisible state, to steal money from a Russian mobster and casino owner named Vasiliev. It does not go well. |
| 67 | * ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'': In ''ComicBook/Hawkeye2012'', Clint gets into a feud with the Tracksuit Mafia, a bunch of dumb but dangerous Russian gangsters who are responsible for street-level crime in his neighborhood. |
| 68 | * In ''ComicBook/NikolaiDante'', the new Russian aristocratic houses are descended from old Mafiya clans. |
| 69 | * ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' seemingly kills Mafiya as often as he does Mafia. They tend to be slightly more competent than the usual goons. |
| 70 | * In ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' Colossus was forced to work for them, as they had his brothers hostage. Even more, they had a LeonineContract forcing him to work. The X-Men rescued him, and when the Mafia wanted him back, Wolverine shows up to say that it's a good moment to "renegotiate the contract". |
| 71 | * The Mafiya play a huge part in ''ComicBook/TheWinterMen''. |
| 72 | [[/folder]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 75 | * ''Fanfic/FreezerBurn'' has the Winter Soldier sub-contracted as an assassin to a powerful ''Vory'', and from him by HYDRA - specifically, by [[spoiler: the Red Skull]] - and his true loyalty is to [[spoiler: Alexander Lukin]]. This leads to some confusion as to why a) such a lethal assassin is working for the Russian mob, b) how he can be both working for the Mafiya and [[spoiler: Lukin]]. Per Natasha, the answer is that his ''real'' loyalty is only to the latter, and if the ''Vory'' in question even realised he was the cut-out man, [[AlwaysABiggerFish he was smart enough not to make further enquiries.]] |
| 76 | * ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14997911/chapters/34760702 The Horsewomen Of Las Vegas]]'' has the Bratva, led by Wrestling/NikolaiVolkoff. In the story, the Bratva were nearly run out of existence at one point, but were able to rebuild. |
| 77 | [[/folder]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 80 | * In ''Film/TwentyFifthHour'', Monty's associated with them, despite being of Irish descent himself. |
| 81 | * In ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'', it is strongly implied that Jackson Curtis' Russian boss became a billionaire through less-than-legal means in one scene, although the movie never really follows up on it. Given that this is frequently the case in RealLife, though, it's not much of a stretch. |
| 82 | * ''Film/{{Antikiller}}'' interestingly portrays various strata of Russian organized crime world. |
| 83 | * ''Film/BadBoysII'': Unbeknownst to both Marcus and Mike, Syd is working undercover for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a money launderer to a branch of the Russian Mafia operating in Miami's drug trade. |
| 84 | * In ''Film/BluesBrothers2000'', Willie runs a strip club but rejoins the band after it is burned down by the Russian mafia because Elwood enlisted the help of Willie's barman, "Mighty" Mack McTeer, to try and convince them to leave the club alone. |
| 85 | * Ivan Checkov and the Russian mob dudes from ''Film/TheBoondockSaints''. They're led by Yuri Petrova, who gets offed along with his underbosses when the Saints drop in on them at Copley Plaza. |
| 86 | * ''Film/Brother1997'' is a Russian crime film about a young man who is seeking his brother, who has become a hitman under Russian mob boss "Roundhead". |
| 87 | * The 2009 French film ''Film/LeConcert'' has a scene in which the protagonists are in the middle of a Russian wedding. Out of nowhere, the wedding becomes a gunfire between rival gangs. |
| 88 | * In ''Film/TheConIsOn'', the BigBad Irinia is the boss of an Eastern European crime syndicate, whose henchmen are all thuggish Slavic types. Her reputation for violence and cruelty makes her TheDreaded. |
| 89 | * The Chechen from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is a Chechen drug lord in charge of the drug-trafficking operations in Gotham City. |
| 90 | * ''Film/TheDrop'' has Chechen mobsters who take over the protagonist's bar. |
| 91 | * ''Film/EasternPromises'' features a group of Russian mobsters in London. Noteworthy in that they are all main characters and essential to the film's plot rather than generic mooks or simply scary RuthlessForeignGangsters. The culture of the Mafiya, the tattoos in particular, are gone into in some depth (to the point that Creator/ViggoMortensen started to carefully wash off his fake tattoos after each shoot after he went to have a meal in a local restaurant and accidentally terrified the people there who knew what they meant). It's also implied that they're a comparatively small branch; unlike the vast wealth and power they often have in the media, this film is centred almost entirely around a fairly small SexSlave operation, a fancy restaurant and some contraband alcohol, and a rival Chechen gang that apparently only consists of three brothers with knives are a major threat. |
| 92 | * ''Film/TheEqualizer'': The primary villains are Russian mobsters who have operations on both US coasts, with the boss himself in Moscow. |
| 93 | * In ''Film/{{Eraser}}'', the BigBad is involved in the deal to sell a large shipment of MagneticWeapons to The Mafiya. After being arrested, he claims to have acted in the best interests of his nation by destabilizing a potential enemy from within. Of course, all it would take if for one of those weapons to fall into the hands of the Russian officials, where it would be reverse-engineered and used by the government. How does John deal with The Mafiya? By bringing in TheMafia. |
| 94 | * ''Film/IronMan2'': Ivan Vanko's tattoos identify him as a member of Russian organized crime -- or, at the very least, someone who's been perennially incarcerated and familiar with the prison culture of the ''vory''. |
| 95 | * In ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'', the most feared gangsters are Ukrainian. |
| 96 | * The Russian mob features prominently in ''Film/TheJackal'', as they hire the title character, a hitman to murder the [[spoiler:First Lady]] in retaliation for the death of the mob boss's brother during a joint U.S.-Russian arrest. |
| 97 | * ''Film/JamesBond'': |
| 98 | ** Janus [[spoiler:a.k.a. Alec Trevelyan a.k.a. 006]] and the Janus Syndicate from ''Film/GoldenEye''. According to Bond, they were "top-flight arms dealers headquartered in St Petersburg", and were responsible for restocking the Iraqis during the 1990–91 Gulf War. |
| 99 | ** Valentin Zukovsky from ''Film/GoldenEye'' and ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' is an ex-KGB intelligence officer turned Russian mafia head who runs a bar, a casino, and a caviar factory. |
| 100 | * At the start of ''Film/JohnWick'', the ruling power in New York's underworld is the Tarasov family, run by Viggo Tarasov. John Wick himself worked for Viggo and his family during his career as an assassin, for which he earned the nickname [[RedBaron "Baba Yaga", or "The Boogeyman"]], and essentially put them into that position of power in the course of completing Viggo's OneLastJob when he eventually wanted out. Then John, now retired, has a run-in with Viggo's ''[[InadequateInheritor gopnik]]'' [[InadequateInheritor son]] Iosef, who decided to steal John's [[CoolCar vintage muscle car]] and [[KickTheDog kill his puppy]] for no reason, and John brings himself out of retirement to get his revenge on Iosef, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge waging war on the Tarasovs]] in the process. |
| 101 | * The secondary plot of ''Film/Jungle2Jungle'' revolves around a Russian mob boss that Michael (Creator/TimAllen) sold a bunch of coffee beans to only for the price to drop the next day, leaving the boss to think he's been swindled and come looking for revenge. |
| 102 | * The main antagonists of ''Film/{{Lethal}}'' are a Mafiya unit who are trying to get ahold of Department of Defense documents. |
| 103 | * ''Film/LittleOdessa'' features a Brooklyn-based Ukrainian [[KosherNostra Jewish mob]] that has the protagonist working for it as a hitman. |
| 104 | * ''Film/LordOfWar'': In the early 1980s, Yuri Orlov, the eldest son of a family of Ukrainian refugees, is visiting a Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, restaurant where he witnesses a Russian mobster kill two would-be assassins holding Kalashnikov rifles. The incident inspires him to go into the arms trade. |
| 105 | * In ''Film/MaximumRisk'', Alain discovers that he has a twin brother who is in the Russian mob. The head of the Mafiya is also shown reading ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment'' at one point... in English. |
| 106 | * ''Film/TheMachine2023'', based on the comedy routine of Bert Kreischer, follows a college-aged Kreischer as he falls in with Russian mobsters, and then an adult Kreischer (played [[AsHimself by himself]]) as the consequences of his youth brings a new generation of Mafiya to his doorstep. |
| 107 | * In ''Film/MollysGame'', the federal government is so focused on prosecuting her illegal poker games because they think she is a part of the larger Russian crime network. Much time and effort is spent trying to figure out just what it is that she knows before they learn that the references to 'needing molly' that the criminals kept saying referred to the drug ecstasy. Molly's poker games really didn't have any connection to the Mafiya beyond their members playing at the table. |
| 108 | * ''Film/TheMongolianConnection'' features a Russian crime syndicate operating out of Ulaanbaatar as the bad guys. Their activities include drug running, human trafficking and forced prostitution, and, locally to Mongolia, illegal gold mining. |
| 109 | * ''Film/OurKindOfTraitor'' features a more benign version of these when a London couple vacationing in Morocco is befriended by a Russian gangster who wants to get out of the business but knows that doing so will be fatal to him and his family. He asks the pair to be a go-between for him and [=MI6=], offering them information on other gangs in exchange for immunity and protection for his family. |
| 110 | * ''Film/PlayingGod'', starring Creator/DavidDuchovny, has Estonian gangsters. |
| 111 | * ''Film/RedHeat'' has a Soviet police agent and a Chicago police detective taking on a Russian mobster who escaped the Soviet Union and came to America. |
| 112 | * In ''Film/RockNRolla'', Uri and Victor are heavily implied to be gangsters trying to go legit. Uri is at least a corrupt oligarch. |
| 113 | * in ''Film/Ronin1998'', Deirdre meets with her handler, Seamus O'Rourke, who tells her that the Russian mafia is bidding for the case and that the team must intervene before they get it. |
| 114 | * In ''Film/{{Rounders}}'', the protagonist repeatedly clashes with Teddy KGB, a ''vor v zakone'' who runs an illicit underground poker club. |
| 115 | %%* ''Film/RunningScared2006''%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample |
| 116 | * The main antagonists of ''Film/SkinTrade'' are [[BalkanBastard Serbian]], but they live and base their human trafficking ring in Russia. |
| 117 | * Boris the Bullet Dodger (a.k.a. Boris the Blade) in ''Film/{{Snatch}}'' is, as pedantically noted at several points, actually from UsefulNotes/{{Uzbekistan}}, but that doesn't stop pretty much everyone in the movie from thinking and speaking of him as "that sneaky fuckin' Russian." As both his previously mentioned nicknames suggest, he's [[MadeOfIron pretty hard to kill]]. |
| 118 | * In ''Film/SonOfAGun'', the underworld fixer Sam has connections to the Russian Mob that he uses to fence the stolen gold. Lynch and JR hit the handover to steal the gold back. |
| 119 | * ''Film/ThievesByLaw'' is a 2010 documentary detailing the rise of the Russian Mob after the Soviet Union. The cover is also the source of this page's image at the time of writing. |
| 120 | * In ''Film/TrainingDay'', Alonzo has a debt to the Russian Mob. [[spoiler:He doesn't pay it back in time.]] |
| 121 | * ''Film/WeAreTheNight'': A group of Russian gangsters in Berlin feature as prey/antagonists. |
| 122 | [[/folder]] |
| 123 | |
| 124 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 125 | * In ''Literature/{{Accelerando}}'', the Mafiya of TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture (who are all now hardcore UsefulNotes/{{Objectivis|m}}ts) have taken over the remnants of the American recording industry, which they are attempting to restore to profitability by using direct physical violence to settle intellectual property disputes. |
| 126 | * In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Arctic Incident'', Artemis is trying to rescue his father from them. |
| 127 | * The protagonist of the ''Literature/{{Birthright}}'' series, Anya, is from the Balanchine Mafiya family that manufactures illegal chocolate. The book takes place around 2083, when chocolate and caffeine are illegal and paper is hard to come by. |
| 128 | * In Creator/AndrewVachss' ''Literature/{{Burke}}'' book ''Dead and Gone'', Burke meets with some Russian dudes, not too clear whether they're Bratva or gopniks, and [[spoiler: has their tight-lipped leader assassinated so as to get in place a more talkative replacement.]] In ''Mask Market'', [[spoiler: this is subverted (!) The Russian thugs that show up are really Russian Jews.]] |
| 129 | * The ''Literature/BridgeTrilogy'' by Creator/WilliamGibson is set in AlternateHistory [[The2000s 2000s]] and features the "Kombinat" -- an unholy merger of late Soviet bureaucracy and the Mafiya, with the resources and international sovereignty of the former and all the brutality and disregard for the law of the latter. |
| 130 | * ''Literature/TheDeathOfRussia'': When Siberia falls into anarchy following the outbreak of the Second Russian Civil War cutting the region off from being supplied by everything west of the Urals, the Bratva are one of the factions that spring up. They manage to take over numerous towns and cities (including the most prosperous nickel mine in the world), by taking control of the limited food supply; in many places, the male population just give up and join the organization just to get access to food. Due to being so entrenched, they prove one of the biggest obstacles to Alexander Lebed's attempts to restore order under his provisional Siberian government, but they do eventually fold. |
| 131 | * A Russian-led criminal organization plays as the (seeming) main antagonist in ''Literature/DanceoftheButterfly''. This is explored further in the second book of the series. |
| 132 | * ''Literature/TheGoldfinch'' includes a number of shady Russian and Eastern European hoodlums with criminal contacts. Boris insists that he's not an actual gangster. One Russian gangster notes that he wouldn't be considered "Russian" in Russia because he's an ethnic minority there. |
| 133 | * The ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel ''Literature/HighTimeToKill'' features Russian mobsters as one of the two rival expeditions climbing the Kangchenjunga to retrieve the MacGuffin. While Bond never comes across them, his rival Roland Marquis has deals with them. |
| 134 | * The final book of the ''Literature/KenzieAndGennaroSeries'' has Patrick and Angie deal with the Russian mob for the first time, and neither of them are happy about it since even [[PsychoSidekick Bubba]] (who is allowed to do his own thing by both the Italians and Irish because fighting him is so much more trouble than it's worth) thinks they're too tough to take on. TheBrute for them is Yefim, an [[FauxAffablyEvil extremely cheerful, friendly guy]] who [[EveryoneHasStandards calls petty criminal Kenny a "piece of shit" for giving a young girl a major drug habit]], before kidnapping the girl and [[KickTheDog idly musing whether they'll rape her or test out his colleague's new gun on her]]. |
| 135 | * The non-fiction book ''[=McMafia=]'', by Misha Glenny, discusses modern organized crime in many parts of the world -- Colombia, South Africa, upstate New York, etc. -- but the author devotes the most space to Eastern Europe. This is partly due to his own expertise and contacts in the region, but he clearly explains how the Soviet collapse impacted the global underworld in parallel with politics and "legitimate" business. |
| 136 | * In ''Literature/MarginPlay'', Vadim is unreformed and runs a gang of ''gopniki''. He has a scar on his forehead where he had a prison tattoo removed. Govrolev may or may not have reformed. There are also a couple dozen ''gopniki'' (Gang Bangers) who serve as dumb muscle for the bad guys, and admire and follow Vadim. Izzy knows far more than she's happy with about how the Mafiya works because she grew up surrounded by them. |
| 137 | * They're referred to as the Kosher Nostra in ''Literature/MrBlank'' and [[Literature/GetBlank its sequel]], but they're clearly the Mafiya. |
| 138 | * The catalyst for Neal Stephenson's ''Literature/{{REAMDE}}'' is when a Mafiya associate gets his criminal activities hacked while playing a computer game, and a crime boss shows up to straighten things out. |
| 139 | * In one of the sequels to ''Literature/GorkyPark'', ''Red Square'', Renko has to deal with the Chechen Mafiya. |
| 140 | * The main antagonists in ''The Witness'' novel by Creator/NoraRoberts. |
| 141 | * The antagonists in ''[[Literature/{{Quiller}} Quiller Balalaika]]'' by [[Creator/EllestonTrevor Adam Hall]]. |
| 142 | * ''The Sterling Inheritance'', by Michael Siverling, featured Uncle Gregori, who was quite kind to his nephew-in-law, even going so far as to [[spoiler: send an arsonist to help burn down a theater for insurance when the poor nephew lost the Mafiya money that he was supposed to launder to an unscrupulous Nigerian Businessman.]] |
| 143 | * Like TheMafia, these guys show up in the setting of ''Literature/TimeScout''. Like TheMafia, not explicit, but implied to be part of the cause of the CrapsackWorld. |
| 144 | * In ''Literature/{{Zeroes}}'', Mob's father owes tens of thousands of dollars to the Mafiya. He tries robbing a bank to get the money to pay off his debt, kicking off the main conflict when the robbery goes wrong and the Zeroes get involved. |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 148 | * Season 8 of ''Series/TwentyFour'' has Mafiya bosses Sergei Bazhaev and Vladimir Laitanin as antagonists, as well as Davros, a more minor Mafiya member who's hired to assassinate President Omar Hassan. |
| 149 | * ''Series/AllRise'': In the third season, Mark's father Vic has gotten indebted to a Russian gangster. Mark, a prosecutor, is then {{blackmail}}ed into throwing cases on the gangster's behalf under threat of Vic being killed. However, he works with the FBI to bring the gangster down. |
| 150 | * ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' gives us the Bratva. The third episode reveals that Oliver Queen somehow has the rank of ''Captain'' (tattoos and all). As revealed in the episode "Vertigo", he apparently saved the life of Anatoli Knyazev. Flashbacks in season 5 show how Oliver became involved with them, while in the contemporary plotline Oliver's role as a ManOfTheCity causes an inevitable break with Anatoli. |
| 151 | * In ''Series/BanditPetersburg'', old-school, elderly criminal authority figures (think [[Film/TheGodfather Don Vito Corleone]]) are juxtaposed with modern, westernized, aggressive criminal types. |
| 152 | * ''Series/{{Barry}}'': Season 1 has Barry called to Los Angeles to do a hit for a Chechen mob boss, only for things to get complicated between Barry and the gang. The show's comedic aesthetic has several of the Chechen gangsters behave surprisingly low-key and friendly in spite of being ruthless murderers. |
| 153 | * Season 3 of ''Series/{{Billions}}'' has Bobby reluctantly approach Grigor Andolov for an investment to keep his embattled company afloat. Though Andolov never displays any tattoos etc. [[PaperThinDisguise he barely bothers to hide the fact that he is a ruthless murderer]], and he starts causing problems immediately. Wielding a level of power that Bobby is not accustomed to dealing with (bribery and corporate sabotage he's an expert at, murder and mutilation are not something he's ever dabbled in) Andolov eventually offers to kill someone for Bobby, with the latter fully aware that both accepting and refusing will have consequences he'd much rather avoid. |
| 154 | * The Russian mini-series ''Series/TheBitchWar'' tells the story of Misha, who left his village in 1935 to escape famine and became a thief after failing to find work in the city. He is initiated into the Bratva and refuses to cooperate with the authorities when arrested, which gains him the respect of the vor v zakone, who consider him a member in good standing. When war breaks out, Misah is offered a pardon if he joins the army, but as a good Bratva thief, he declines -- however, after Germans massacre his family, he joins up to fight them, getting him a death sentence from the vor v zakone. Misha survives the war, but when he gets home, he returns to crime -- he is soon arrested and sent to a [[TheGulag gulag]] where he has to survive the "Bitch Wars", with the Bratva old guard that sat out the war determined to kill those Bratva members who joined the army to fight the Germans. |
| 155 | * In one episode of ''Series/BlueBloods'', Danny and his partner protect a witness in Erin's case against this sort of kingpin, despite the man's ruthless efforts at killing and intimidating her -- even as she prepares to testify, he taunted her about knowing [[TheVillainKnowsWhereYouLive where her mother lives]], despite it being thousands of miles away. |
| 156 | * Little Nina in ''Series/TheBoys2019'' was TheBaroness and head of New York's Russian mafia, who was Frenchie's former employer [[SleepingWithTheBoss and lover]] that made him [[RetiredOutlaw perform hits for her]] on anyone who got in their way [[WouldHurtAChild as well as their families]]. When Frenchie's other former lover ruins a major drug deal for her, Frenchie helps her escape the country and Nina's wrath which leads to Nina terrorizing him instead [[ForcedIntoEvil by trying to make him get back to work]]. |
| 157 | * Season 3 of ''Series/{{Braquo}}'' finds Caplan and his team tangled in a war of succession within the French branch of the ''vory v zakone''. |
| 158 | * These show up in ''Series/BurnNotice'' as murderers, traffickers in sex slaves, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and movie pirates]]. Michael tries to get one of them to trust him by claiming to be one of them. He even manages to explain his obvious American accent by claiming that his family moved to the States when he was little. It helps that he knows the Russian martial art style Sambo, helping him sell the disguise. |
| 159 | * In ''Cra$h & Burn'', the local Russian crooks are just bottom-feeding scam artists. The mob boss who comes to collect a debt from them is a high-ranking member of the Mafiya. His Dragon feels it is beneath them to handle this personally and would much rather have everyone involved killed so they can go home and get some decent food. If you try to jerk them around, they will kill you without blinking. |
| 160 | * The Russian Mafiya features prominently in the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "Honour Among Thieves". |
| 161 | * ''Series/Daredevil2015'': In season 1, Vladimir and Anatoly Ranskahov are capos who relocated to New York City, and are trafficking women and drugs through Hell's Kitchen. Their outfit serves as one of several to make up Wilson Fisk's crime syndicate, alongside factions of the Triads and the Yakuza. They serve as the first of the criminal gangs in Hell's Kitchen to be targeted by Matt Murdock and the first to openly express discontent with Fisk's leadership. The syndicate ends up being eradicated early on after Anatoly makes the mistake of intruding upon Fisk's private life. This results in Fisk brutally murdering Anatoly, and then purging the rest of the Ranskahov organization for good measure. |
| 162 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/{{Delocated}}'' with Yvgeni Mirminsky, the vodka enthusiast assassin with an ambition for stand-up comedy. Then the next season brings in his brother Sergei and [[KnightOfCerebus things get serious]]. |
| 163 | * Major antagonists in ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', though actually Ukrainian. |
| 164 | * In ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', Lubov is introduced as a low-level mobster working with the Borodins. [[spoiler:It turns out that he's actually a Doll planted by the LA Dollhouse to try and throw Agent Ballard off his hunt for their operation.]] |
| 165 | * ''Series/TheEndgame'': Elena married into a Belarusian crime family and in the present is still the leader of a major criminal operation (it seems she's Belarusian on her father's side). |
| 166 | * In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', Adelai Niska and his men are basically Russian mobsters [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace in space]]. |
| 167 | * ''Series/TheFlash2014'': The third episode briefly gives us the Darbinyan crime family of, presumably, Armenian origin (based on the name). They meet at a restaurant owned by them to discuss a move by their unnamed rivals, which involves convincing their drivers to steal from them. They have previously testified against Kyle Nimbus, who used to work for them as a hitman. Thanks to the particle accelerator explosion at the same time as Nimbus's execution, Nimbus was granted the ability to turn into poison gas, which he uses to get revenge on those involved in his betrayal and execution. His first targets are the high-ranking members of the crime family. It is likely that Nimbus himself is not Armenian, which may have facilitated the family's betrayal of him. |
| 168 | * Sergei in ''Series/FleshAndBone'' is almost certainly involved with the Russian Mob. Daphne spotlights it by jokingly calling him 'the Mobster' and is rebuked by one of his [[{{Mooks}} bouncers]]. Daphne and later Claire perform in a strip club which he owns. Claire learns of his involvement with [[SexSlave trafficking underage girls]]. One girl appears to have "vanished" as a result of becoming a problem as well. |
| 169 | * ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': One episode revolves around Frasier and Niles trying to get cheap, high-quality caviar from a guy with connections in the Russian Mafiya. TruthInTelevision, believe it or not -- authentic wild beluga sturgeon caviar is worth twice its weight in gold, and poachers and traffickers often have connections to the Mafiya. |
| 170 | * ''Series/GangRelated'': The Russian Mafia Family are criminal players in LA, with one episode focusing on them as it's found they were trafficking young Mexican women as {{breeding slave}}s. Vee's brother Anton, who's doing a life term for murders she's convinced he didn't commit, is a member (they're Russian-Americans). |
| 171 | * In ''Series/{{JAG}}'', pretty much every time a storyline involves either Russians or when the main characters go to Russia, this trope almost instantly comes into play or is hinted at. |
| 172 | * If the Mafiya makes an appearance on an episode of ''Series/LawAndOrder'', lots of people are probably going to die. In one of the only two-parters in the run, they murder several witnesses, kill an ADA, slash the throat of a ten-year-old boy, and try to blow up the two-seven. [[spoiler:It's only when a banker is convicted under RICO of actively turning a blind eye that Jack manages to put the mobsters away for good.]] This often results in someone declaring that no matter how bad the regular Mafia is, [[EvenEvilHasStandards at least they have rules]]. |
| 173 | * ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' uses Mafiya as a RedHerring in "Maledictus": when the daughter of a Russian mob boss is decapitated and her body dissolved with lye (a "signature Russian mob hit"), the police first suspect she was killed to prevent her from writing a follow-up to the tell-all book that helped send her father to prison. [[spoiler:But the cops later discover she was actually planning to write about an old classmate who had poisoned his pregnant mother when he was ten years old, and said classmate killed her to keep the truth from coming out ''before'' the Russians could carry out the hit.]] |
| 174 | * Nate's father Jimmy Ford teams up with a gang of Russian blackmailers and robbers on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' [[spoiler: although his real goal is to steal evidence from a police locker that will earn him the gratitude of Boston's old crime families.]] |
| 175 | * Roman Nabokov, shadowy nightclub owner in ''Series/Life2007'', who's turned out to be the key in the whole plot. |
| 176 | * In ''Series/LongWayRound'', Creator/EwanMcGregor and Charlie Boorman stay at the mansion of a friendly Russian man who says he's in the "washing machine business". [=McGregor=] notes with increasing unease that their host seems to have an awful lot of physically imposing houseguests and has a surprisingly comprehensive personal arsenal. |
| 177 | * An episode of ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'' dealt with a Mafiya boss who threatens Don's family in order to divert attention from his real plans, leading Don to kick Charlie off the case. It nearly works, except Charlie's brain refuses to stay off, and he eventually figures out the boss's plan, culminating in a rather complicated scheme to nab him. As in many depictions, the boss is portrayed as vicious and brutal. One character provides the following line: |
| 178 | -->''"You know what they say about the Russian mob? They'll shoot you just to see if the gun is working."'' |
| 179 | * Galina "Red" Reznikov's backstory in ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'' prominently features the Russian mob. Initially, Red and her husband were forced to by the mobsters to aid their smuggling business in order to repay a debt after an incident where she had punched a mob boss' wife's chest, accidentally rupturing a breast implant. Later on however, she began to impress the bosses by providing cunning and shrewd advice and eventually became a well-respected member of the organization in her own right. |
| 180 | * ''Series/PersonOfInterest:'' |
| 181 | ** [[TheMafia Elias]] drives the Russian mob out of their undisputed stronghold in Brighton Beach during his rise to power. This leads to an alliance between the Russians and the [[DirtyCop corrupt police organization]] known as HR. |
| 182 | ** The series has also featured a ruthless Eastern European gang that was similar to the Mafiya but was Polish rather than Russian. |
| 183 | ** In one episode, Ukrainian mobsters are apparently after a supermodel and Lionel is forced to hold them off by himself. |
| 184 | * One of the recurring villains in ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'' is Russian gangster Vlad "Stitch" Molotov. |
| 185 | * ''Series/{{Shooter}}'': One of their bosses meets Swagger in prison and protects him out of gratitude for killing the Ukrainian president, whom the Russians had hated. |
| 186 | * In ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', the Russian Mafia are portrayed as being ruthless and vindictive. |
| 187 | * ''Series/TheSopranos'' features Mafiya as occasional antagonists of the [=DiMeo=] crime family. They also show up as business associates; Tony's underworld accountant/money launderer at the beginning of the series is a Russian with Mafiya connections. Of course, one of his "connections" is Valery the [[FormerRegimePersonnel ex-VV]] (Interior Ministry [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Troops_of_Russia Internal Troops]]) veteran of the First Chechen War that Paulie kills (or tries to) and buries (or tries to) in the Pine Barrens... |
| 188 | -->'''Paulie:''' You're not gonna believe this. The guy killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.\ |
| 189 | '''Chris:''' His house looked like shit. |
| 190 | * ''Series/TheSpencerSisters'': It turns out that Billy is not actually a con artist or Gold Digger. In fact he's on the run from the law and a Russian mobster over a rare, very valuable painting. Finally he gets tracked down by the Russians, who kidnap him and extort Victoria to get them the painting back. |
| 191 | * ''Series/{{Spooks}}'': Lucas North, although not a member, spent eight years in a Russian prison and has a number of tattoos as a result. |
| 192 | * One storyline in ''Series/ThirdWatch'' has cop Sully's wife and stepson being threatened -- and sadly, eventually murdered -- by one of these. |
| 193 | * Frank Semyon in the second season of ''Series/TrueDetective'' is a Russian-American with a violent background he's trying to bury. Some of his associates are old country Mafiya members. |
| 194 | * ''Series/WildBill'': Oleg Kraznov is a powerful Russian crime boss in the area who grows into Bill's nemesis as he fights to stop Kraznov's operation. |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]] |
| 198 | * The real-life model for ''Film/VanWilder'' is even more famous for his routine about (he swears) his real-life involvement with these guys. Ladies and Gentlemen, [[https://youtu.be/paG1-lPtIXA Bert Kreischer, THE MACHINE]] (warning: definitely NSFW). |
| 199 | [[/folder]] |
| 200 | |
| 201 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 202 | * TheMusical adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Matilda}}'' adds a Russian mob who are sold dodgy cars by Mr. Wormwood. Near the end of the musical, they meet Matilda and discover that she can speak fluent Russian, greatly impressing them. |
| 203 | [[/folder]] |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 206 | * ''TabletopGame/DeltaGreen'' features the Tadjbegskye Bratva, a ''Bratva'' created by veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war who accidentally discovered access to the [[DreamLand Dreamlands]] through the plateau of Leng in the mountains of Afghanistan. The Bratva has access to spells, sorcerers, can travel between dimensions and some other supernatural resources. They are in a conflict with [[NoSuchAgency GRU SV-8]]. |
| 207 | * ''TabletopGame/NightsBlackAgents'': The main antagonists of ''The Zalozhniy Quartet'' are the Lisky Bratva. Josef Lisky is an old-school ''vor'' who adapted to the modern post-Soviet world by making his ''bratva'' part of the Conspiracy. |
| 208 | [[/folder]] |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 211 | * ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' has contact with several elements of the Russian mafia during the Moscow mission. Sergei Surkov is an ex-''vor v zakone'' gone semi-legit businessman (who has a lot of his ex-KGB ex-Mafiya friends on payroll as security). Konstantin Brayko is a still-active gang leader [[spoiler:and Surkov's former lieutenant]] who acts very much like a stereotypical ''bratok'', what with [[DiscoDan his focus on Eighties pop culture]] and [[FashionVictimVillain general lack of taste in clothing]]. |
| 212 | * ''VideoGame/BadBoysMiamiTakedown'' has them as one of the gangs you go up against, they are led by Akimov who is in debt to [[TheCartel Tulio Mendoza]]. |
| 213 | * ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' has the Scavengers, a gang based around OrganTheft and [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil human trafficking]] that are seemingly affiliated with Eastern European organized crime as most of their {{mooks}} speak Russian and dress in Gopnik-style tracksuits. |
| 214 | * ''VideoGame/DeusEx'': |
| 215 | ** At some point before 2050, the Mafiya and the [[TheCartel Mexican drug cartels]] joined forces, gaining power rivaling that of their respective governments. This received a CallForward in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', with [[ConspiracyTheorist Lazarus]] mentioning that the Russian mob practically runs Mexico in 2027. |
| 216 | ** ''VideoGame/DeusExTheFall'': Russian bureaucrat Mikhail Kontarsky hires the Bratva as his personal bodyguards in the prologue mission. Unfortunately for Kontarsky, they aren't really a match for [[QuirkyMinibossSquad The Tyrants]]. |
| 217 | ** The Dvali crime family plays a prominent role in ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'', and while the organization is [[GenericEthnicCrimeGang ethnically Georgian]], it has more than a few Russian members and is similar enough in appearance and operation to count as this. |
| 218 | * Part of Grigor Stoyanovich's backstory in the first ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'' was that he used to be a member of the Russian mafia, where he earned his nickname "The Crocodile." |
| 219 | * Mikhail from the Co-Op Mode of ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' is a Russian hitman who used to work for the Mafiya, but was banished from Russia after breaking the code and marrying a woman named Katya, with whom he had a daughter. As you can see when he's shirtless, he has a tattoo of Saint Peter's Cathedral with six spires on his chest, indicating six years of prison service. |
| 220 | * Even though he is from UsefulNotes/{{Serbia}}, Niko Bellic of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' used to work for the Bratva, but didn't exactly part on good terms. They become the main antagonists during the game. Vlad Glebov is a low-ranked member of the Bratva and Mikhail Faustin, Dimitri Rascalov, Kenny Petrovic and Ray Bulgarin are ''vory v zakone''. Faustin and Bulgarin are both heavily tattooed, though Bulgarin seems to have been pragmatic enough to have the ones on his hands removed. Additionally, the Rascalov Crime Syndicate is based in the predominantly Eastern European Liberty City neighborhood of Hove Beach (based on the real-life Brighton Beach, the main hub of the Russian Bratva). |
| 221 | * ''VideoGame/TheGetawayBlackMonday'' has them as the main antagonists (Thieves in Law) in the form of the "Skobel Group". They're led by Viktor Skobel, a ''vory y zakone'' who has a charming exterior and [[WickedCultured a taste for fine art and culture]], but is brutal and ruthless nonetheless. |
| 222 | ** Also in the spin-off "Gangs Of London", one of the five gangs you can play as is the "Zackarov Syndicate". |
| 223 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' also has C.J. and Big Smoke butting heads with Russian arms dealers in an early mission. Whether they were part of the Bratva or just Gopniki is rather unclear. Most likely bratva, because gunrunning is usually too big and dangerous a business for gopniki gangs to organize. |
| 224 | * The Mafiya also appear in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto2'' in the Industrial District (the last level) of Anywhere City. |
| 225 | * Russian organized criminals are sometimes mentioned in ''Franchise/{{Hitman}}'' series. Arkadij Jegorov is a target in ''[[VideoGame/HitmanCodename47 Codename 47]]'' and Sergei Zavorotko is a [[spoiler: BigBad]] in ''[[VideoGame/Hitman2SilentAssassin Silent Assassin]]''. |
| 226 | * The main enemy faction in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' is an unnamed Russian mafia organization, of which most of the {{Mooks}} and the game's FinalBoss are afilliated to (with the boss serving as the organization's DragonInChief). In the sequel ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'', you get to play as two of the mafia's mobsters, including the new leader and son of the aforementioned boss, and it's shown that their main rivals are a Colombian drug cartel. |
| 227 | * Featured in the Moscow mission set in ''VideoGame/MafiaWars''. |
| 228 | * Vladimir Lem and his arms-dealing empire in ''VideoGame/MaxPayne1'' and ''VideoGame/MaxPayne2TheFallOfMaxPayne''. One might consider Vlad something of a subversion of the normal Russian gangster portrayal, given that he is suave, sophisticated and [[SympathyForTheDevil friends (kinda) with the protagonist]]. [[spoiler:That is, until the sequel.]] The suaveness can be explained by the fact that he was [[spoiler:Alfred Woden's protege]]. |
| 229 | * ''[[VideoGame/{{Mercenaries}} Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction]]'' had them as one of the four factions with which the player could work in North Korea. Unlike the Allies, South Koreans, and Chinese, they don't have a personal stake in the conflict; they just want to exploit the reconstruction efforts. Unluckily, this arrangement is upset by their local don, a PointyHairedBoss who keeps provoking all of the factions until, inevitably, his capo gets sick of it and deposes him. Since they run the shop from which you purchase all your gear, it's a good idea to keep on their good side (though if you do tick them off, you can just bribe them through the website). |
| 230 | * ''VideoGame/MotherRussiaBleeds'' is set in an alternative version of Russia in the Eighties, where the Bratva controls the country and distributes a PsychoSerum named "Nekro". Some of the mooks encountered are shirtless {{Tattooed Crook}}s. |
| 231 | * The bandits in ''VideoGame/{{STALKER}}'' are thoroughly ''gopniki''. Their leaders, most notably Borov, Yoga and Sultan act as typical ''avtoritets'', though. Being Eastern European game, it's also notable for heavy and accurate use of Fenya in dialogues (including the now-iconic [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cheeki-breeki "Cheeki Breeki"]]). |
| 232 | * Damon and Vladimir Zakarov of John Woo's ''VideoGame/{{Stranglehold}}'' run a Russian crime syndicate that want to take over Hong Kong. |
| 233 | * ''VideoGame/SummertimeSaga'': The Russian mob have recently moved into Summerville and regularly threaten and extort MC and his family because his late father owed them money. Turns out they are involved in drug and sex trafficking too. When the MC questions why they would even show up in some random EverytownAmerica, he's told that the minimal police presence and large coastline makes smuggling in product easier. They're also led by a Vladimir Putin expy. |
| 234 | * ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': Boris Chekov is a Russian mobster, LoanShark, and SideQuest antagonist. However, he's also a regular human being whose organization is easily OvershadowedByAwesome when someone he's [[SexualExtortion sexually extorting]] sends the PlayerCharacter, a powerful vampire, to kill him. |
| 235 | * The Bratva is one of the street gangs in ''VideoGame/WatchDogs2'', depicted as stereotypical, tracksuit-wearing ''gopniki'' (to the point that even their ''[[MookMobile cars]]'' have black-and-white Adidas stripe liveries. [[https://watchdogs.fandom.com/wiki/Bratva?file=HaikalR_Bratva.jpg Seriously]]). They also have elements of [[KosherNostra Jewish gangsters]], which puts them in conflict with the white supremacist [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels Sons of Ragnarok]]. |
| 236 | * During the events of ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}} Fusion'', Russia's government was overthrown by the nation's mafia, including anti-gravity racing team Qirex, which would be later bought by the syndicate-owned Tigron Enterprises. They would later on wreak havoc in the [=F9000=] and eventually lead to the downfall of AG racing because of numerous race-fixing scandals involving them blackmailing Overtel, which at the time owned the Anti-Gravity Racing Commission, into changing the rules to favor them. Their playable craft, the Bull-666, was a popular pick amongst players with its high top speed, great handling, decent acceleration and an extremely powerful Super Weapon in the form of the [[KillItWithIce Nitro Rocket]]. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 240 | * Featured prominently in ''Webcomic/{{Chimneyspeak}}''. |
| 241 | * [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030126 Show up]] during the "Girls Night Out" arc from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''. |
| 242 | [[/folder]] |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 245 | * ''WebOriginal/{{Goncharov}}'' is about a Russian who goes to Naples and joins the Mafia there. The Russian mafia is also involved. |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 249 | * Mr. Stripes from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily a kid-friendly example]]: he's [[HuskyRusskie a big guy]] who [[JustAStupidAccent speaks broken English with a thick Russian accent]], wears a track suit with a gold necklace, and is certainly not above threatening the main characters with financial extortion. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 253 | * Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. There's a reason it's called "Little Odessa" with Jews, Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Central Asians, and other Soviet nationalities living there. Naturally, the Bratva had a substantial presence in the neighborhood during the [[TheSeventies 1970s]] and [[TheEighties 80s]]. |
| 254 | ** And, strangely enough, West Hollywood of all places. Must've been the combination of cheap, dilapidated property, and the chance to tell your friends back home that you live in Hollywood. They share space somewhat uncomfortably with one of LA's {{Gayborhood}}s (which, come to think of it, may well have started up in West Hollywood for more or less the same reasons, although the parts that are Gayborhood are rapidly gentrifying). |
| 255 | * West Ridge and Rogers Park on Chicago's North Side, along with most ex-Soviet-immigrant heavy suburbs such as Skokie, Des Planes, etc. |
| 256 | * Pick a Russian city. Any Russian city. [[WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell Or any former Soviet republic or Eastern-bloc country]]... You can even still find a TownWithADarkSecret in a remote area of the country that is run by the Mafiya and the lawful administration is InNameOnly. |
| 257 | * Israel became a major hotspot for the Russian mafia following the mass immigration of Russian Jews during the 1990s. As Israel's financial system was notoriously underregulated and designed specifically to encourage Jewish immigration, many Russian criminals of Jewish descent took advantage to set up money laundering services in the country. |
| 258 | * With a surge of immigration (of varying degrees of legality) from Eastern Europe, London and other parts of the United Kingdom have also seen a significant increase in the presence of the Mafiya. |
| 259 | * OlderThanRadio: The ''Vorovskoy Mir (Thieves' World)'' originated in the early years of UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia. |
| 260 | ** [[OlderThanTheyThink Older than the Mafia]]: Modern scholars estimate that ''Cosa Nostra (The Sicilian Mafia)'' originated in 1812. Almost a century later than the Russian Mafia. |
| 261 | [[/folder]] |
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