Russian Website Ranks Bulgaria among 'States of Mafia'

Bulgaria has appeared in Russian news outlet Vedomosti's list of states where certain people "concentrate political power and basic economoic assets".

Other countries mentioned as part of studies by several scholars include Guinea-Bissau, Montenegro, Burma, and Venezuela.

There, a Columbia University researcher argues in an article published by Vedomosti[RU], citing studies by US columnist and Carnegie Endowment fellow Moisés Naím, criminal gangs have used new technology to expand beyond traditional activity, penetrating into political structures.

"Systemic" companies there are built on a family basis, and particular interests of certain individuals are more important than those of society, with the respective companies thriving on public procurement and state capitals - a "privatized form of a parasite state".

Vedomosti, however, notes this in relation to allegations by prominent oppositioner Alexey Navalny on Russian criminal activity and ties of certain gangs to state institutions.

"Alas, as follows from the examples considered, mafia states carry a threat not only to their own populations, but also to the world as a whole."