Of all the Russian OC figures I am personally familier with in the US, with a handful of exceptions,all are either Russian Jews or Lithuanian.
As far as the element in the US, lets not overcomplicate it.
These same people were scamming in the old UUSR.They knew how to play the system, and they knew how to fill a void
Here in Chicago they got their feet wet in buying distressed properties, gutting them for any resellable material, and then dumping them on the county, cities or twons for unpaid property taxes. They mixed that with legit rental properties which is why today they own a good portion of the rental property in Elmwood, Jefferson park, in joint ventures with Outfit guys.
Most recently their major racket both here and back east is a hybrid human trafficing/Adult entertainment racket. They promise you women in Russia and other parts of eastern Europe a job and a green card in America, and when they arrive they farm them out to mail otrder husbands for a fee, escort services, massage parlors and strip clubs. Half the women working in the adult industry in the Chicago area arived by thie route. If they complain to try to bow out, they threaten to have them deported or to harm their families back in Europe. It it a shame some outfit guys have been lured into this business, it's ugly