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Spies, mobsters and an assassination plot: The Kremlin's dark networks in Europe

2026-04-17 17:04:56Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

In a vaulted courtroom in Frankfurt, unusual testimony has opened a rare window into the secret world where Russian secret services, the state and organized crime intertwine.

In front of the court, a police investigator specializing in Russian-Eurasian crime described in detail a complex and difficult-to-penetrate reality: flexible networks, not rigid structures, that are activated as needed and disappear just as quickly.

At the center of the case are three men, born in Armenia, accused of working for the Russian FSB.

According to the German Federal Prosecutor's Office, they were tasked with spying on a former Ukrainian intelligence officer living in Germany – and allegedly planned his elimination.

The process takes place under strict security measures, while the investigator's testimony aims to explain not only the specific case, but also how these hybrid networks operate.

Networks that arise according to need

According to the expert, what Western authorities call "Russian-Eurasian organized crime" is not a single organization with a clear hierarchy. Rather, it is a loose network of individuals and groups connected through personal relationships.

"We are not dealing with fixed structures," he explains. "They are networks that are created as needed, collaborate for an operation and then disband."

In this system, decision-making does not go through classic chains of command, but through influence, connections, and personal loyalty.

Invisible agents in a gray area

The investigator describes a mechanism where ordinary individuals – often with criminal records – can be used as “low-level agents.” They perform concrete tasks: surveillance, transportation, communication.

These persons are not part of a permanent structure, but are activated for specific missions through intermediaries connected to services such as the FSB.

This creates a "gray area," where the line between state and crime becomes blurred - a model that, according to the investigator, is used especially when operations must remain outside official channels.

"Thieves in Law" and the Code Amendment

The name of Zakhary Kalashov, one of the most powerful figures of the so-called “vory v zakone” – “thieves in law”, is also mentioned in the courtroom.

The group, with roots in Soviet labor camps, operates under a strict code that historically forbids any collaboration with the state. But according to testimony, that code has begun to fade.

Kalashov's case illustrates this transformation. Convicted in 2018 for a violent conflict in Moscow, he was released in 2024 after just six years in prison, officially for health reasons - an explanation that the investigator questions.

According to him, various sources suggest that the early release may have been a reward for cooperation with the state.

From prisons to the war front

Another key element of the evidence is the recruitment of prisoners for the war in Ukraine, particularly by the Wagner Group.

From late 2022 to 2023, prisoners were offered release in exchange for six months of service at the front. This created a direct clash with the “thieves in law” code, which prohibits military service.

But, according to the investigator, an informal agreement was reached. A Moscow source reported a meeting in prison between representatives of the FSB, the Interior Ministry and Wagner, where it was decided that the criminals would be left to decide whether to join or not.

If this evidence is confirmed, it suggests a new reality: a pragmatic collaboration between the state and the criminal underworld, dictated by strategic necessity.

In this model, the state gains access to networks and individuals it cannot reach through official channels, while organized crime gains influence, protection, or legal concessions.

A case that goes beyond the three accused

While the three defendants in Frankfurt stand almost motionless in the dock, their case appears to be just the tip of the iceberg.

For German authorities, the question is not just whether they spied or planned a murder, but whether they represent a broader pattern of operation – a system where intelligence, state and crime are invisibly but effectively intertwined.

A model that, according to experts, is becoming increasingly important for understanding security in Europe today.


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