Karina Orlova: Spain fires shots at Putin’s kleptocracy
The Spanish police on Tuesday arrested several individuals alleged to belong to a Russian mafia clan implicated in money laundering and connected to high-profile Russian politicians. The daily El Mundo reported that Operación Usura ("Operation Usury"), conducted by the Spanish National Guard and the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, netted eight people: six Russians, one Ukrainian, as well as a Spanish lawyer. They have been charged with money laundering for the Tambov and Tagansk mafias, two of the most powerful criminal gangs in Russia. The Tambov gang has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin through its head, Gennady Petrov.