In the end, even if the gangsters avoid shooting the rest of us, they have the potential to ruin life in Vladivostok. Organized crime is strengthening its grip on Primorye. The police say the mob dominates in the fishing industry. And a Khabarovsky krai crime family has recently launched a war against a local mob boss who is muscling in on its turf. The mob can have a lasting and destructive economic impact.
Investors are scared off, and Vladivostok develops a reputation as a lawless city.
Reporters from two of America s largest newspapers have visited in recent months with plans to write, at least in part, about organized crime. If Primorye can t stamp out organized crime, Vladivostok and the rest of the krai will never develop to their full potential. It is encouraging, at first glance, to see that officials have appointed a special police force to preserve the endangered Siberian tiger. The rare and beautiful animal is on the brink of extinction, and some hunters flagrantly violate Russian law in hunting the creature. In fact, talk to a rural hunter at random, and you may well hear a story about killing tigers.