The Bratva

 The Bratva (lit. 'brotherhood') also known as The Russian mob, is a collective of organized crime elements hailing from the Neo-Soviet Union. Criminals of these various groups are either former prison members, corrupt officials and business leaders, people with ethnic ties, or people from the same region with shared criminal experiences and leaders.

In the new Soviet Union, organized crime is one of the most organized, powerful forces. The feeble attempts to move from socialism to a market economy and to democratize was a boom for the smuggling and black market gangs. Organized crime is now so entrenched in the Soviet Union that law enforcement won't take any action unless there is a mob war. The The Bratva have become a state within a state, with its own armies and collecting its own taxes (Schutzgeld).

 In the new Soviet Union, the The Bratva are into smuggling and dealing in weapons, technology, food, aerodynes, computers, automobiles, and western cyberware. Depending on the syndicate, they may or not be involved in the drug trade. Fortunately for both the state and the citizens the Bratva are not united and are usually either fighting each other for territory or the police, who attempt to contain the use of military-grade weaponry.

Within Night city the Bratva typically operate within the confines of little Europe, but much like any criminal organization worth its eddies they can and frequently are capable of operating within the entirety of Night city.