Is Russia a Mafia state?

Dominic Cummings discusses in an interview with Dwarkesh Patel that Russia operates as a Mafia state. He explains that in the mid-90s, Moscow taxi drivers would refer to London as "the laundry for the Mafia estate," indicating how the Russian elite used London for financial activities. He learned through his attempts to start an airline in Russia that many Russians were more interested in stealing from the airline and moving money offshore rather than ensuring its success. This experience contrasts with the expectations of many Westerners who mistakenly presumed that Russia was a "vaguely normal country" with similar business and ethical standards as the West 1.