How the Soviet government opposed the "thieves' law", and what came of it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The first so-called "thieves in law" appeared at the dawn of the Soviet regime. At first, for certain reasons, this stratum of society was beneficial to the authorities, but the years passed, and the Soviet government entered into an uncompromising struggle with the thieves' world.

About those who sympathize with the Soviets

During the period of reforms carried out by Peter I, the criminal world entered a new stage of development, as a result of which separate specializations began to appear and a caste system began to form. Significant changes took place during the Revolution and the Civil War.

Many thieves found themselves in the ranks of "sympathizers" with Bolshevism. By providing assistance to the "red", the criminals could take revenge on the tsarist government. The criminals who adhered to this ideology were Koba, Mishka Yaponchik, Grigory Kotovsky.

When the Civil War ended, the “sympathizers” of Bolshevism did not manage to change their worldview. The new government did not like these habits, as a result of which the government began to "purge" and eliminate criminals. During this period, the criminals realized that it was better to return the past than to play a dangerous game with politicians.

Formation of "concepts"

In the 20s and 30s, a code of thieves' concepts was formed. This arose due to the following: Devaluation of grain: This has led to the fact that timber has become the most profitable raw material for export. It didn’t have to be collected, but it was not necessary to cut it in the most comfortable conditions. Collectivization: People who spent many years in prisons turned the camps into a separate biosphere. For this, they organized hostels with both external and internal management. The leaders of this power were thieves.

"Kings" of the zone

The system of thieves' society was significantly different from the systems of other criminals. It was somewhat reminiscent of the control system of the party authorities. The "secretary" and "delegates" were chosen at gatherings, and the neophytes needed the approval of other thieves. To become an authority, you had to adhere to strict rules. To do this, they had to forget about starting a family, saving money, buying their own apartment, finding employment.

All the funds that the criminals received were surrendered in "Common fund" … In prisons, thieves were a kind of "kings". They drank, ate, and did not work. They were forbidden to maintain contact with the administration, but they carefully monitored what was happening in the zone. The state system was completely satisfied with this order, because it was very practical and convenient for it.

Thieves during the war

Some criminals dared to change their "qualifications". To do this, they voluntarily went to work. Political prisoners were not admitted to penal companies and battalions. Only those criminals who were convicted of minor crimes could become their participants.

Many criminals were not patriots, so they often deserted. To survive in the wild, they were engaged in robbery, speculation and theft. When the authorities realized this, in 1942 a mass raid for thieves was organized on the Tishinsky market.

This period was especially difficult for the USSR, because it had to fight not only external, but also internal enemies. One of the most famous and dangerous at that time was the Pavlenko criminal group. After escaping from the army, Pavlenko created a "community" with his comrades.

Its participants convinced others that they were engaged in military construction work, but in fact their main activities were robbery, theft, executions, looting. When Kostenko was detained, they found general's shoulder straps. He gave fake medals and award sheets to his friends.

"Bitch" wars

After the war, the criminals who fought at the front had to return to the zone. The new convicts did not accept the thieves-old-lawyers, because they considered them "missed". The Blathari were aware of this. In 1948 it was declared "new law" for shipment to the Vanino port. At this time, the terrible and bloody battle of the "new law" began. To pass into the new law, the thief had to kiss the knife. The criminal who performed this action forever lost his rights in the thieves' world. He was called "bitch".

Blathari who refused to kiss the knife were tortured. During this period, another dangerous community was formed - "Chaos" … Its representatives hated both "old thieves" and "bitches". The authorities decided to play off the thieves. They no longer needed them. In addition, criminals posed a serious threat to society.

White Swan

To destroy the "thieves-lawyers", they were sent to prison "White Swan" … Here, only the Blatari spent their time. As mentioned above, thieves were forbidden to work, but how can they survive if there was no one else in this institution? This is what provoked serious riots and uprisings between the prisoners.

In 1980, a single chamber-type room was opened in the "White Swan". He was hated by criminals of all stripes. Many repeat offenders were sent there. They came out of there already "Uncrowned" … This was a very tough and effective fight against “thieves-legalists.” As Colonel Anatoliy Zhoglo argued, wars between thieves were the most reliable way to eradicate this system.

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