Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime 4d ago

In Episode 4 of 7, Mark Galeotti examines whether Russia is heading back to the lawless chaos of the 1990s — and why Putin's failure to lead on the issue of returning war veterans could make a surge in violent crime almost inevitable. In this series: Leading Russia expert Mark Galeotti answers the key questions about Russian organised crime — from its structure and reach to how geopolitics is reshaping it. In this episode: Why the 'Wild 90s' are the template everyone fears — and how close Russia is to repeating them How the state's weakened police capacity is leaving a dangerous vacuum Putin's hands-off leadership style and why it mirrors his COVID-19 failures The psychosocial crisis of returning veterans and the crime wave experts are bracing for. Watch the full series: ▶ Ep. 1 — How Has the Russia-Ukraine War Affected Organised Crime? | Russian Organized Crime | Ep. 1 ▶ Ep. 2 — How Sanctions Chaos Fuels Russian Organised Crime | Russian Organised Crime Ep. 2 ▶ Ep. 3 — How War Veterans Could Fuel Russian Organised Crime | Russian Organized Crime | Ep. 3 ▶ Ep. 4 — Are Russia's 'Wild 90s' Returning? Crime, Veterans & Putin's Failure | Russian Organized Crime Ep. 4 ▶ Ep. 5 — How Is the War in Ukraine Fuelling Gun Crime in Russia? | Russian Organised Crime | Ep. 5 ▶ Ep. 6 — How Russia Uses Organised Crime to Bust Sanctions | Russian Organised Crime Ep. 6 ▶ Ep. 7 — How Russian Organized Crime at home and abroad have drifted apart | Russian Organized Crime Ep. 7