Another thing that I do not fully understand is how does one even end up in prison in Russia when everything is so corrupt? That is to me it seems like the OC groups in Russia control pretty much everything. Who goes to jail then people who go against them of people high up in the government? It just does not seem as clear cut as it does here in Canada or in the USA. Maybe I am wrong about this though and my mind has been a bit brain washed by living in the West lol.
There is too much corruption, but there are honest cops even in Russia. However, to put a REALLY POWERFUL gangster in prison in Russia, he has to step on the toes of somebody more powerful than him: for example, Vladimir Kumarin (the boss of the Tambovskaya in St Petersburg) was arrested after some of his underlings tried to extort a friend of the regional governor who had connections in Moscow.
As for smaller and middle-sized groups, their bosses sometimes get arrested when they become too violent or flashy and too much complaints reach the capital. In case the gangsters whom the complaints are made against have no direct ties to the people in charge of the country, there is a chance the investigation is delegated to people from Moscow and taken away from the local police which is already bought by gangsters. However, this doesn't mean the Moscow police is honest: they are compromised with the mafia too, but have no problem in investigating groups from other cities they have no ties to.
Also, it is always easier to put a gangster-politician in jail if he doesn't belong to the "United Russia" party which is the one in charge.
However, things are not so bad now as they were in the 90s: it's not like you can't walk on the streets without getting shot, most of the trouble stays in the big business.
