Putin's Silent Front: How the Caucasian Mafia Is Taking Over the French Riviera Under Kremlin's Watch
Briefly

The French Riviera is experiencing a rise in organized crime from transnational networks, especially those involving Caucasian groups. Following the USSR's collapse, Russian organized crime evolved from the strict codes of the 1990s Mafia to the more business-oriented avtoritety in the 2000s. Leaders like Shalva Ozmanov emerged, engaging in illicit activities through partnerships with corrupt officials and using offshore structures. The Riviera serves as a base for laundering money through real estate and corporate strategies, moving away from traditional violent tactics to legal manipulation. Additionally, ex-security personnel coordinate criminal actions effectively.
The collapse of the USSR led to a transformation in organized crime, with 1990s Mafia being replaced by hybrid figures known as avtoritety, who combine business, politics, and crime.
Caucasian clans have gained prominence in the criminal underworld, using corrupt officials and offshore structures to manage drug trafficking and corporate raiding, particularly in profitable locales like the French Riviera.
Today, Russian-Caucasian networks excel in laundering money through real estate and resort industry investments, utilizing a strategy that involves legal and corporate manipulation rather than violence.
Former members of post-Soviet security forces have been integrated into criminal networks, exemplified by a group of FSB agents involved in a high-profile robbery, demonstrating their coordination and influence.
Read at Business Matters
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