Dear History Enthusiasts,
This week, we turn our attention to a lesser-known but powerful criminal tradition born out of the chaos of revolution and repression: the Thieves in Law (vory v zakone), the elite brotherhood of the Russian underworld.
The Birth of the “Thieves’ World”
Although criminal networks had existed for centuries in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia—ranging from rural bandits to urban gangs—it was the collapse of Tsarist authority during the Russian Revolution of 1917 that fundamentally reshaped the landscape of organized crime. As the empire fractured and the Bolsheviks struggled to consolidate power, law enforcement systems disintegrated. In the power vacuum that followed, armed criminal gangs flourished, often filling the void of authority in towns and cities, controlling trade, arbitrating disputes, and even acting as de facto governments in some regions.
Out of this upheaval emerged a unique and highly structured criminal culture known as the vorovskoy mir (воровской мир), or “thieves’ world.” More than a loose network of criminals, it developed into a self-regulating shadow society with its own values, language (fenya), rituals, and law. This underworld operated according to a strict moral code that rejected state cooperation, legitimate work, or military service. To live as a thief meant to live entirely within the bounds of criminal brotherhood.
Who Were the “Thieves in Law”?
From this secretive world arose the vory v zakone—literally, “thieves in law.” These were not just any criminals; they were the aristocracy of the underworld, respected and feared for their adherence to the thieves’ code. To be crowned a vor (thief) required more than criminal skill; it demanded ideological purity, loyalty to the brotherhood, and a total rejection of conventional society. A vor could not work a legitimate job, collaborate with the state, or pursue personal wealth at the expense of the collective.
The vory v zakone were seen as custodians of a parallel justice system, complete with its own courts, punishments, and internal ranks. Tattoos served as visual resumes, documenting status, prison history, and personal allegiance (an indepth dictornairy of these tattoos and their meaning can be found here). The brotherhood’s code and structure allowed it to outlast tsars, revolutionaries, and Soviet reformers.
A System Forged in Repression
The Stalinist era would further entrench and refine this underworld. The Gulag—the sprawling system of forced labor camps—became a crucible for the thieves' world. Within the brutal hierarchy of the camps, the vory established their dominance, running black markets, maintaining order among prisoners, and resisting camp authorities. Ironically, the Soviet state’s own repressive system helped organize and empower the very criminals it sought to suppress.
By the mid-20th century, the vory v zakone had become a transnational phenomenon, stretching across the Soviet Union and later, the post-Soviet states. Even today, remnants of this system influence organized crime syndicates in Russia, Eastern Europe, and beyond.
Legacy of the “Thieves in Law”
The rise of the thieves in law is more than a story about criminals—it’s a story about how people build order out of disorder, even if that order lies in the shadows. The vory lived by a code that stood in stark defiance of state authority, creating a moral world where honor was measured not by obedience to law, but by fidelity to the brotherhood.
In studying the , we are reminded that history is not just shaped by rulers and revolutions—but also by those who operated in the margins, whose invisible empires told another story about power, loyalty, and survival.
Until next time, remember to embrace the lessons of history, but never get caught up in its cobwebs.
Warm regards,
Hugh
