vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #155 / Special reports / Reading article...

On Nov. 18 an unknown hit man wielding an AK-47 shoots and kills 34-year-old businessman Sergei Visitov in his Land Cruiser. A girl with Visitov is injured, while another escapes unharmed.

A week before, a Nakhodka businessman is killed by single bullet to the skull as he enters his home. And in the middle of October, two assailants gun down Vladimir Dmitriev, General Director of the Pacific Trading House, outside his apartment.

Vladivostok certainly has earned its reputation as the heart of Russia’s “Wild East.”

And in the wake of recent slayings, local businesmen — both Russians and foreigners — have taken widely varying attitudes to the threat from hired gunmen, ranging from shrugging it all off to praying they can count on their hired security.

Police have no figures on the number of contract killings in the last year, though every year recently there have been a handful. Part of that may be due to the presence of organized crime. Mayor Victor Cherepkov even claims the mafia controls more than 70 percent of businesses in the region.

In such an atmosphere, one might expect that businessmen would be bristling with protection, particularly considering that the three men killed within the last month and a half were not known to run with the mafia – local press report that Visitov’s death was a mistake. One Russian businessman believes it was “a warning” to Visitov’s employer, Orient Management company, and was not directed at Visitov personally.

Signs of such protection are legendary in Vladivostok. From bodyguards to convoys of unmarked Mercedez-Benzes, defenses vary widely.

This image of flashy New Russian businessmen surrounded by beefy mercenaries may be exaggerated, but many businessmen do have their own security. One Russian who works for a Japanese appliances distributor said he relies on “unofficial” precautions — bodyguards — rather than the police.

“We have certain people who will protect us in case of danger, but the main rule is not to quarrel with anyone,” said the man, who asked not to be identified.

Another man, who owns a network of food stores, said each branch of his company pays from $500 to $1,000 in “monthly fees” to the mafia.

“Every big company has people who do absolutely nothing, but the company pays them from 3 to 5 million a month,” said the man, who also asked to remain anonymous. “This a sort of fee as well.”

However, he doesn’t have security in his office. “The only defense in our office is a voice intercom to screen visitors outside the door,” he said.

Nakhodka businesswoman Larisa Rakul said every kiosk and shop pays from 10-50 percent of their profits to the mob. When she tried to import two containers of American beer, a mob boss demanded a cut. She refused to cooperate, and the containers were seized. The mobster who tried to muscle her is now running for the Primorye Duma, she said.

Despite the high-profile murder cases and media stories about Vladivostok’s criminal world, others in city believe that hired protection is nothing more than a status symbol.

“People here know that if somebody wants to shoot another person, it’s simple,” said Yevgeny Dugot, a lawyer and businessman who has spent his entire life in Vladivostok.

That’s exactly what happened in the slayings of mafia bosses Mikhail Osipov and Anatoly Kovalyov this year. Kovalyov was killed in the parking lot of the popular Royal Park Casino, and two men shot Osipov outside the lobby of the Hyundai Hotel. No arrests have been made in either case.

“But it’s not dangerous to do work here,” Dugot said. “I think protection is just a bluff, used to intimidate people.”

“People here know that if somebody wants to shoot another person, it’s simple.”

Dugot’s remarks shed light on a crucial aspect of Vladivostok’s business protection trends. It is difficult to define the line between clean business and organized crime, because so much crime hides behind legitimate enterprises. Those who deal in shady operations, or enterprises that have connections to the mafia, are usually the most concerned about safety measures.

“It’s a running joke, but the honest people are not afraid of anybody,” Dugot said.

Others disagree. Some well-off businessmen locate their families out of town or even overseas for safety reasons. Others refuse to say where they live.

Kadzuo Chijimatsu, the head of the Japanese Marubeni Company’s Far Eastern office, said he fears for his life. The Japanese Consulate advises its citizens here to travel by car.

“Every time I come to Vladivostok, I travel only by car and never walk,” he said. “Unfortunately, when the weather is good, I can’t enjoy it.”