The Petrovic Crime Syndicate, also called Mafiya and the Bratva, is part of the Russian Organized Crime operating primarily in Liberty City, before setting up their base of operations in the State of Alderney, and is probably the biggest Russian organized crime family in the U.S. It plays a minor role in Grand Theft Auto IV, yet their story is the main plot element in its multiplayer. In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the gang is simply referred to as the Russian Mafia, as it is the only Russian crime family in Liberty City by 2009.
The boss of the organization, Kenny Petrovic, is believed to be the most powerful Russian kingpin in Liberty City, and possibly America. The syndicate is involved in all types of criminal activities, including drug trade, vehicle thefts and racketeering.
Description[]
Members can be encountered in Hove Beach, Firefly Island and Beachgate. They drive unique customized black Reblas and Schafters, unlike the Faustin/Rascalov Mafiya who drive Uranuses and Ingots. Members of the Petrovic Mafiya dress similarly to the Faustin Mafiya, the only difference being the Petrovic Mafiya often has older members who dress in nicer clothing. They often wear checkered sports coats, sheepskin Harrington jackets, suits with ties, argyle turtleneck sweaters, and trousers. Lower ranking members will often dress in denim jackets over hoodies, Soviet-style leather coats, track jackets, leather ski jackets, jeans, sneakers, and boots. However, in multiplayer, playable Petrovic Mafiya members reuse character models used by the Faustin/Rascalov Mafiya.
However, being the parts of Russian Organized Crime, both gangs share their hostility and hospitality towards player. After Niko Bellic becomes an associate of the Faustin Mafiya he can't be attacked by Russian mobsters under any circumstances, being the part of Russian Organized Crime as well. Despite this, Russian mobsters won't help Russian gangsters in fights, hinting that members of the crime syndicates don't tie themselves with street level criminals. In fact, should the player start a gunfight involving Petrovic and Faustin gangsters, they will open fire on each other, as well as the player.
History[]
Background[]
Gang was founded by Kenny Petrovic, who was born in Russia in 1956. His father was a World War II veteran, who fought during the Battle of Stalingrad. Kenny arrived in the US in the 1980s on an Israeli passport though, this was confiscated when evidence came to light that he did not, as previously claimed, have a Jewish grandmother. Kenny joined Russian Organized Crime and with the permission of the gang's elders started to make money by shipping American-made cars back to Russia. After some time in America, he formed his own organization and became the kingpin of Russian Organized Crime in Liberty City, if not the whole United States.
During the mid-'90s, another Russian criminal, Mikhail Faustin, exploited a loophole in the immigration treaty to gain US residency. Along with his close friend, Dimitri Rascalov, Mikhail founded his own organization among Russian Organized Crime and later have taken control of it over Hove Beach area, which residents are mostly Russians. Petrovic's Crime Syndicate, however, maintained good relations with Faustin's organization, probably because its interests covered the whole city and country, making it unnecessary to go at war for control over one neighborhood.
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Petrovic Crime Syndicate had been working alongside the Faustin Crime Syndicate until 2008, when Mikhail Faustin goes insane because of his drug addiction. He orders his henchman, Niko Bellic to execute Petrovic's son, Lenny, suspecting him of being an FIB informant. Later Faustin orders to destroy Petrovic's garage in South Bohan, because the owner owes him money and he wants to "teach people to listen to him".
Kenny Petrovic then orders the deaths of Faustin's administration, including Dimitri Rascalov, Niko Bellic, and Mikhail himself. Dimitri, possibly due to romantic relationships of his cousin with Petrovic's son, strikes a deal with Petrovic that places blame solely on Mikhail, which would have Niko, as the one who killed Petrovic's son, assassinate Mikhail and have Dimitri replace him as the new boss.
Dimitri proves himself as an effective leader and earner, quickly gaining control over various illegal activities around the city and making new connections, such as Ancelotti Crime Family and Pegorino Family. His successes, however, turns out to be a failure, when one of the people he betrayed earlier, Niko Bellic, comes for revenge. Dimitri, as well as his new partner James Pegorino, is killed before or after big heroin deal, which is supposed to make him one of the most powerful people in the criminal underworld. Trying to get unsold heroin for himself and leave the country, another major Russian mobster, Ray Bulgarin got killed in his jet, which leaves Kenny Petrovic's organization as the most powerful Russian crime syndicate in the city and the country.
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV Multiplayer[]
Shortly after the end of Rascalov's and Bulgarin's Russian crime syndicates, Kenny Petrovic flies back from Russia to Liberty City. He and his bodyguards were ambushed by NOOSE at the Francis International Airport, attempting to leave the private jet. Bodyguards managed to fight NOOSE back and save Petrovic from being arrested, being generously rewarded for their efforts. The charges were probably withdrawn later, due to Petrovic's many connections.
Petrovic buys himself the old residence of Jimmy Pegorino in Alderney, which serves him as the new base of operations.
Petrovic's Crime Syndicate supplies The Lost MC with methamphetamine, which probably served as the reason for their rivals, the Angels of Death, to destroy one of Petrovic's meth labs. Petrovic responds by sending a squad of his hitmen to raid a drug deal they made with one of the Mafia families of Liberty City and by ordering a goon to destroy the chapter leader's bike, called Sexy Charlie.
When the Albanian Mob tries to ship stolen cars out of the country by boat without Petrovic's permission, he orders the hit on them as well, mentioning that this highly profitable "business" was his only source of income when he first arrived in America. His squad steals the explosives from a Securicar and blows the ship up, also ending the Albanian Mob's operations in Liberty City.
At some point, Petrovic hires a squad of hitmen to deal with his organization's everyday problems. He contacts them through the phone and gives different missions and orders, ranging from hiding his mistress from his wife and killing street drug dealers to steal required vehicles across the city. Petrovic's Crime Syndicate seems to have a lot of connections among the criminal underworld of Liberty City, including Rami Yalon, Little Jacob, Gordon Sargent and Brucie Kibbutz.
Events of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
By 2009, Petrovic Mafiya, simply referred to as the Russian Mafia, still controls the Hove Beach area of Broker. Meanwhile, the nearby territories of the wiped-out Rascalov and Bulgarin crime syndicates, Firefly Island and Beachgate, are now controlled by an African-American gang, the Hustlers. The state of Alderney, Petrovic Mafiya's main territory, does not make an appearance in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars; therefore, they can only be encountered in their Hove Beach territory in Broker, Liberty City.
They are seen driving their variants of Cavalcade FXT and Burrito. Exclusively to the PSP port, their Cavalcade FXT has a neon underglow. Their favorite radio stations are DJ Khalil and Ticklah. Their drug vans can be found in that area, where the player can steal them and take the drugs for themselves.
Huang can purchase drugs from Cazza and Borris, two Russian dealers found around Hove Beach. Their main source of income is selling Ecstasy and purchasing Cocaine for re-selling.
The Russian Mafia plays no major role in the storyline, serving only as enemies during Rampages and a source of income for the Drug Dealing minigame. They appear as enemies during the PSP exclusive mission Half Cut, due to Huang giving away free cocaine on their turf as part of a drug-related documentary being filmed by Melanie Mallard.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
Multiplayer[]
- Hangman's NOOSE
- Deal Breaker
- Bomb Da Base II
- Mafiya Work / Team Mafiya Work
- Car Jack City / Team Car Jack City
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
Members and Associates[]
Members[]
- Kenny Petrovic - (Pakhan)
- Lenny Petrovic - Kenny's son †
- Sergey - (Boyevik) †
- Georgi - (Boyevik) †
- Ivo - (Boyevik) †
- Anton - (Boyenik) †
- Vanya - (Boyevik)
- Boris - (Boyevik) (formerly) †
- Vasil - (Boyevik) (formerly) †
- Rami Yalon - (Hitman) (unofficial member)
- Borris - (Drug Dealer)
- Cazza - (Drug Dealer)
Associates[]
- Igor - Petrovic's cousin
- Mikhail Faustin - Pakhan of the Faustin Crime Family †
- Dimitri Rascalov - Sovietnik of the Faustin Crime Family †
- Little Jacob - Respected member of the Yardies
- Gordon Sargent - McReary Crime Family captain
- Brucie Kibbutz - Petrovic's friend
- Juliet - stripper
- Multiplayer Character - hired hitmen
Gallery[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
