Furthermore, because official payroll services had nearly vanished, ex-KGB officers, police officers, and Soviet Army troops entered the mafia's ranks in quest of regular work. Mafia oligarchs stole state-owned assets and companies across Russia, including telecommunications and energy networks and industries, and extorted the people in exchange for providing security and executing laws when the Russian government failed to do so. As a result, the Russian mafia is extremely powerful and well-connected, even though the current Russian administration has successfully combatted organized crime. Anyone who comes out against government corruption in an authoritarian nation like Russia may be imprisoned, banished, or even assassinated under unexplained circumstances. Russia's chances of developing real democracy are hampered by this tyranny, which permits official corruption to flourish.
The demise of the Soviet empire has far-reaching consequences for the rest of the globe, notably for former Soviet satellite countries. Oil and natural gas exports have brought wealth to certain nations, such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, but also facilitated corruption. Other nations, such as Armenia and Tajikistan, have failed to thrive in the post-Soviet era, with many inhabitants remaining poor while the governments and their politics remain in flux. The fall of the Soviet Union had a considerable impact on nations beyond the former Soviet bloc; for example, China has grown to become a significant international powerhouse since the end of the Cold War, while the European Union has spread its influence into territories formerly dominated by Moscow. Relations between the United States and Russia have been tense in the quarter-century since the Soviet Union's demise. While the U.S. offered aid to Russia under President Bill Clinton, authorities in the U.S. feared that if nationalists regained power, Russia would resurface as an adversary.
The fall of the Soviet Union was a defining moment in history. The dissolution of the Soviet Union not only disrupted Eastern European economic systems and trade ties, but it also caused instability in many Eastern European nations and raised crime rates and corruption within the Russian government. For more than three decades, the Berlin Wall served as a physical representation of the so-called Iron Curtain and Europe's political divisions. Gorbachev's loss of control had a domino affect, leading Eastern European ties to collapse. The demise of the Soviet Union has a number of long-term repercussions for the global economy. It also triggered a flurry of cultural changes and social upheavals in former Soviet countries. The fall of the Soviet Union left a power vacuum, allowing the Russian mafia to flourish. Ex-KGB officers, police officers, and Soviet Army personnel joined the mob in search of steady jobs. Mafia oligarchs seized state-owned properties and businesses throughout Russia.