ABSTRACT
This chapter presents research which is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a behavioral model for Ukrainian organized criminal groups. In addition, 150 criminal cases were analyzed using primary source case materials from internal affairs agencies, the Ukrainian Security Service, and the prosecutor's office. Ukrainian organized criminal groups share the idea that the made man is a highly principled criminal—similar to the positions of honor within the Italian Mafia. The relevant external structures include such obvious ones as law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Procuracy, and the Ukrainian State Security Service, as well as other external entities such as business enterprises, banks, and so on. It is clear that many of the ideological traditions remain with Ukrainian organized crime groups. The obshchak is the oldest traditional institution for organized crime in Ukraine, and again has its roots in Russian folkways. The latter crimes show how the face of organized crime in Ukraine is changing.
