They generate black cash for black ops; they carry out assassinations.

They smuggle weapons; they carry out cyberattacks.

And they run all sorts of errands the Kremlin wants to keep its fingerprints off.

Meet Russia's nationalized and weaponized organized crime syndicates -- a deadly tool of statecraft for a highly criminalized state.

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we discuss co-host Mark Galeotti's new report for the European Council on Foreign Relations: Crimintern: How The Kremlin Uses Russia's Criminal Networks In Europe.

Enjoy...

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