Crimes in 90s Russia

Let’s move from frauds to severer things. Today, I will write about crimes. To begin with, I was way to far from it, and all my knowledge on this particular topic comes from TV. Watching news is never fun, not now, not back then. I clearly stayed away from TV as much as could, still I got some related memories.

Factories, plants, which were state-owned, became privately owned. Not always the transfer procedure was legal. Some properties were simply taken away. Not simply, by murders. That was the time when everyone started talking about mafia. Murders during territory negotiation was among regular news. There were different areas belonging to different crime groups, which not always lived in peace. As there were no system and order at all after the Soviet collapsed, mafia easily entered many areas. It was like a cancer, spreading all over body. Interestingly, that the cultural capital of Russia – St. Petersburg – became one of the most criminal cities in the country.

Very soon, mafia men got own uniform – crimson red jacket, thick gold chain on the neck, and shaved head. There were not necessarily the brightest/smartest people. They were called new Russians. That was a special category of people, rich and powerful, who were allowed to do whatever they wanted. They usually showed off their money by buying bizarre and exotic things.

No, ordinary people were not afraid of mafia. There were two parallel worlds, which never crossed. Way more dangerous were local drug addicts, who could attack anyone to get some money. Some city areas were truly disgusting, filled with the garbage left from addiction. Probably, that was the point when I became intolerant to any kind of addicts. I am not sorry for that part of population at all. Life can be tough sometimes, but it is a personal choice how to react…

This was the last heavy post, the upcoming topics (food, music, movies) will be more cheerful. I promise. 🤗