The Russian Mafia's Pakhan

In the Russian Mafia, the equivalent of the Don is called the Pakhan. This boss controls four operating "cells" through his second in command. The number two man is called the Brigadier. Given that this organized crime family structure originated in Russia, where secret police once ruled with terror and fostered a paranoid environment, the Pakhan employs spies to keep an eye on the Brigadier. The cells are made up of the usual suspects - soldiers who deal in drugs, prostitution, extortion, bribery and all manner of criminality. The members of the individual cells do not know members of the other cells, though they all report to the Pakhan. Just as the American Mafia mirrors the legitimate capitalistic world, the Russian Mafia reflects the communist regime where it was spawned.