Russia Has Become a Mafia State: Who Is Really in Charge of the Governors and Regions?

The Russian authorities have established a system of regional governance that more closely resembles a mafia-like structure than a federal state. Governors depend on funding from the Kremlin and are forced to demonstrate absolute loyalty, while the FSB exercises actual control over local elites. At the same time, the authorities use different methods of coercion in different parts of the country: they turn the provinces into a source of mobilization resources, while intimidating residents of large cities with arrests and repression.

Serhiy Aslanyan , a journalist and host of the “Khodorkovsky LIVE” program, explained to 24 Channel how Russia’s system of governance actually works, why governors lack autonomy, and what role the FSB plays in controlling the regions. The economist also assessed how the impoverishment of the population helps the Kremlin retain power, why the Russian economy is reverting to the Soviet model of survival, and how Europe’s purchases of Russian energy resources and its inconsistency support Putin’s regime.

The Illusion of a Federation: A Mafia-Like Structure and FSB Overseers

Western political scientists often mistakenly analyze Russia through the lens of classical federalism, believing that the Kremlin is forced to rely on regional elites to ensure mobilization and war financing. However, the actual system of governance in Russia is built on the principles of a mafia-style structure, where the governor acts as a branch manager with no right to pursue his own political ambitions.

All Russian regions are subsidized, which creates an ideal loyalty mechanism. Governors of Regions Receiving SubsidiesThey receive a “license to rule” and funding from the center in exchange for absolute obedience and ensuring the desired election results. They are allowed to enrich themselves through corruption schemes in construction or public utilities, but only as long as they carry out Moscow’s will.

The real instrument of regional control is not the local government, but the Federal Security Service. Each governor is overseen by an FSB office that reports exclusively to Moscow.

Local FSB agents gather compromising information on the entire regional leadership. When the central government needs to remind a governor of his place, the FSB initiates high-profile “arrests of Russian officials” against mid-level officials – for example, public utilities ministers – in whose possession tons of cash and gold are suddenly discovered. This system of total surveillance permeates all spheres: from provincial governments to banks and private enterprises.

Two Scenarios of Terror: Intimidating Moscow and Exploiting the Regions

To maintain control over the population, the Kremlin uses a differentiated approach, dividing the country into the “Moscow Principality” and the rest of the territories.

In the provinces, a harsh and overt “ Mobilization in Russia ” is taking place. People are literally rounded up on the streets, beaten, and sent to the front. Local authorities have been given carte blanche to take any action against the population under their jurisdiction; the main thing is to ensure the supply of “manpower.” Life in the regions has been devalued to such an extent that being sent to war becomes the only option.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, however, a different tactic is in effect – preemptive intimidation. Residents of the capital have historically been accustomed to viewing themselves as beneficiaries of the state, demanding comfort and respect for their basic rights. Therefore, Mass arrests of young people in Moscow, the detention of teenagers and members of subcultures in Moscow is aimed not so much at replenishing the army as at paralyzing society through fear.

The authorities are demonstrating that “life in Russia comes at a price,” and any display of nonconformity or dissent will be brutally suppressed by police batons. Dialogue with young people is no longer needed – the state needs only obedient soldiers for the war.

Impoverishment as a basic condition for the regime’s survival

The Economic Crisis in Russia, teachers’ meager salaries (at $350) and the mass exodus of medical staff from hospitals are not signs of the imminent collapse of Putin’s system. On the contrary, this is a deliberate return to the Soviet norm, where poverty was the primary tool of subjugation.

The period of economic prosperity in the 2000s was a historical anomaly for Russia. The current government is returning the population to its familiar state of mere survival. The experience of the Soviet Union proves that when people have nothing to eat, they do not take up pitchforks; instead, they write denunciations of their neighbors and quietly grumble in their kitchens.

Moreover, it was precisely public-sector workers – teachers and doctors – who for years facilitated election fraud, cementing Putin’s regime. Now they are reaping the fruits of their own complicity in creating a dictatorship. The state allocates funds only to Funding for the war and the security sector and the elites, deliberately driving the rest of the population into poverty, where the only way to earn a living is to sign a contract with the army.

European Policy: Between Loud Statements and Real Money

The internal stability of the Russian regime is also fueled by the West’s inconsistency. Despite the high-profile statements by European leaders about refusing to cooperate with Russia and their reluctance to be photographed with Russian diplomats, real-world policy remains cynical.

The European Union continues to purchase Russian energy resources, particularly liquefied gas, providing the Kremlin with record profits. The amount Europe has paid Russia for energy resources exceeds the amount of material aid provided to Ukraine.

Furthermore, European institutions demonstrate a willingness to lift sanctions against Russian oligarchs (such as Alisher Usmanov or Mikhail Fridman) when it becomes economically advantageous.

A separate problem has been the so-called “green agenda, ” which, by shutting down nuclear power plants (particularly in Germany), has made European industry critically dependent on cheap Russian gas. This has created ideal conditions for Putin to engage in energy blackmail, a tactic that continues to be effective even in the third year of a full-scale war.

Journalist on the role of Russia’s intelligence services: video