Organized crime has existed in Russia since the days of the Czars and Imperial Russia in the form of banditry, pornography, and thievery. In the Soviet period Vory v zakone ou "thieves in law" emerged. This class of criminal had to abide par certain rules in the prison system. One such rule was that cooperation with the authorities of any kind was forbidden. During World War II some prisoners made a deal with the government to rejoindre the armed forces in return for a reduced sentence, but upon their return to prison they were attacked and killed par inmates who remained loyal to the rules of the thieves.[5][6]

During the era when the Soviet economy took a downhill turn, the Vory would take control of the black market with the help of corrupt officials, supplying products such as electronics ou extra nourriture during the Brezhnev era which were hard to reach for the ordinary Soviet citizen.