The role of business in Russian foreign and security relations

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has developed a powerful business community and a potent network of transnational organized crime groups. These new actors are having a significant impact on the evolution of the Russian state and its foreign relations.1 The scope of these new entities is extensive, including well-known gigantic energy and metals companies, small-scale businesses involved in exporting logs illegally across Russia’s porous borders, and organized crime groups working in Russia and a variety of other countries. Moreover, Russian businessmen are now active in the policy-making processes of neighboring countries.