Abroad, they're called the 'Russian mafia,' while for us, they're bandits. But both here and there, they're called 'thieves.' They're everywhere—in movies, books, crime reports, and, of course, on the streets. Thieves' jargon has entered everyday speech, chanson is one of the most popular musical genres, and the criminal underworld continues to exert pressure on businesses. At the same time, 'thieves' are constantly changing and adapting to the demands of the moment: they abandon the principles for which their predecessors died, adopt tactics from their foreign 'colleagues,' master new technologies, and skillfully disguise themselves.

This book by British political scientist and specialist in international crime and Russian intelligence, Mark Galeotti, is a gripping journey through the history of Russia's criminal underworld: from Yaponchik (1891–1919) to Yaponchik (1940–2009). Galeotti discusses the birth and death of old 'concepts,' explains the key differences between Vladivostok and St. Petersburg organized crime groups, and demonstrates how the inexorable logic of the criminal world operates. The editors apologize to Mark Galeotti, Yale University Press, and readers: the first print run of the Russian edition of 'Thieves' mistakenly omitted the original publication's preface and acknowledgements.