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| R Syndicate | |
|---|---|
| Part of Prime Earth's history | |
| General Information | |
| Abbreviations | RS |
| Former names | QuickSolve Monetary Organization |
| Other names | Raskolnikov's Syndicate |
| Type | Criminal enterprise/organization |
| Status | Defunct |
| Headquarters |  Moscow, Russian Federation |
| Established at | July 6, 2016 |
| Founder | Artem Lebedev |
| Disestablished at | December 22, 2020 |
| Key locations | Russia Europe |
| Notable members | Nikolai Volkov Vladislav Vukovic |
| Leadership | |
| Leader | Artem Lebedev |
| Second-in-Command | Vladislav Vukovic |
| Economical information | |
| Means of revenue | Drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, fraud, extortion, organized killings, racketeering |
| Additional information | |
| Number of members | 14,000 (2020) |
The R Syndicate (RS) was a large criminal enterprise owned by Artem Lebedev. The majority of its activities took place in Russia, with some activities taking place in post-Soviet countries. It was established on July 6, 2016, and abolished on December 22, 2020, after the organization failed to reach a peaceful resolution to an internal dispute.
R Syndicate's main criminal activities were drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, illegal weapons manufacturing, extortion, and racketeering. During 2019 and 2020, R Syndicate was considered to be the single largest criminal organization active in Russia. Lebedev had many connections within the Russian government and law enforcement. Through these connections, Lebedev easily obtained weapons from the Russian military. The organization was largely decentralized, with independent cells operating in different cities throughout the country. The largest cell was based in Moscow.
The organization mostly operated in the shadows, avoiding direct confrontation and conflict with other organizations. Nevertheless, there were some major conflicts, such as the war war with Northway Faction and the 2018 Saint Petersburg gang crisis. There have also been attempts by Boreas Research Facility to eradicate the Syndicate's presence in northern Russia.
Etymology
The name of the organization is short for Raskolnikov's Syndicate, which is the name of the protagonist in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel «Crime and Punishment». Lebedev reportedly chose this name because of his interest in Russian literature. Some members of the organization, including Vukovic, did not know about the origins of the name until late 2019.
History
Background
Before 2016, Artem was considered a fairly wealthy businessman in Russia. He had several businesses in the oil refining, mining, and automotive industries. Lebedev also had many holdings in foreign companies such as Newmont Mining, Spectra Energy, NVIDIA, and Halliburton. Due to his wealth, Lebedev amassed a vast amount of connections in the Russian government, law enforcement, military, and private sector. Vladislav Vukovic was one of his closest allies, acting as the Chief Operating Officer in his companies.
On April 12, 2016, Lebedev was suddenly charged with multiple counts of tax evasion, tax fraud, money laundering, and concealment of income. The Russian government gave Lebedev a choice: sell his company to a government-affiliated banker or serve a 16-year prison sentence. Lebedev knew that this was an illegal government takeover. Despite his attempts at using his connections, Lebedev had to sell his company to avoid prison time.
After selling his company, Lebedev was left with almost nothing. His savings dwindled rapidly with each passing month. He was also unable to make many of his loan payments, which resulted in the banks taking his car and apartment in central Moscow. With nowhere to go, he started using his connections to enter the criminal underworld.
Establishment
On July 6, 2016, Lebedev, together with Vukovic, founded the R Syndicate. Initially, the R Syndicate was offering loans with extremely low interest rates under the front of «QuickSolve Monetary Organization». These low interest rates were accompanied by constant harassment by debt collectors, threats of extreme physical harm, and other illegal practices. The organization then started stealing money from clients who couldn't pay their debts. These clients were unable to report the crimes to the police because of Lebedev's connections in law enforcement.
In late 2016, the R Syndicate expanded its business to include drug trafficking. Vukovic developed relationships with many drug dealers and suppliers throughout Russia. The R Syndicate began trafficking cocaine, LSD, and methamphetamine. Lebedev wanted to expand the organization to the West. Using his connections, the R Syndicate began to slowly move toward St. Petersburg.
The R Syndicate continued to expand until early 2018. During this time, the organization began dealing weapons. Some of these weapons have even been shipped overseas to various rebel groups in Africa. The organization controlled almost all parts of Moscow, preventing other criminal enterprises from operating there.