FBIS4-42499 "drweu108_h_94005"
FBIS-WEU-94-108 Daily Report 3 Jun 1994
GERMANY

Russian Army Leaves Behind Crime `Bridgeheads'

Russian Army Leaves Behind Crime `Bridgeheads' AU0406142394 Berlin DIE WELT in German 3 Jun 94 p 1 AU0406142394 Berlin DIE WELT German BFN [Report by Peter Scherer: "Russians Leave Behind `Criminal Bridgehead'"] [Excerpts] Frankfurt/Main -- Even after the complete withdrawal of the Western Group of the Red Army from Germany, the criminal structures built up by leading military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces will continue to exist. This is the conclusion drawn by German security authorities. In an analysis of East European criminal organizations, the German authorities speak of "firmly established bridgeheads of organized crime," whose "business will continue to thrive." The German authorities have found that, as far as personnel and logistics are concerned, these structures will be preserved as a result of many years of criminal cooperation between members of the Western Group and exiled Russian and Georgian criminals. The criminal machinations, which are controlled by leading military personnel -- including numerous generals -- have meanwhile also become a matter of investigations in Moscow. Yuriy Boldyrev, the former head of the control administration of the Russian president, accused "leading personnel of the trade administration of the Western Group" of having transferred 17 million German marks [DM] to bank accounts in the United States, Switzerland, and Finland. Moreover, DM48 million were granted in bank guarantees, without any reason, to 13 foreign companies. At least three enterprises that have connections with the Western Group used these guarantees to withdraw DM13 million from the trade administration's clearing account without supplying any goods. [passage omitted] One of the most important trade partners of the Western Group is an agent in Antwerp with an estimated annual turnover of DM2 billion. Police suspect that the heads of the company are involved in the international narcotics business and have close connections with the Russian mafia in Germany and the United States.