ABSTRACT
Col-Gen Yuriy Smirnov noted that the Ministry of Interior's directorate for combating organized crime had been compromised and that "protection" for criminal gangs had been established. The growth of organized crime in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union has been significant. The origins of organized crime in Ukraine, as elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, can be traced back to the Soviet period itself. Organized crime developed new facets such as robust linkages to emigre communities and criminal organizations outside Ukraine, and penetration of the economy. The landscape of organized crime in Ukraine is diverse and well-rooted. The political victims of contract killings were rarely reformers who were killed because they challenged the dominance of organized crime. In light of problems and challenges, the successes that law enforcement has achieved in Ukraine are remarkable. Ukraine's criminal justice response to organized crime remains embedded in its Soviet past.
