The magazine article focuses on a man named Boris Berezovsky. Berezovsky started in business as a small time automobile dealer. Using his Ph.D. in mathematics, he has amassed an empire worth millions of dollars. Berezovsky has used his fortune to help Russian ex-president Yeltsin achieve the presidency. When Yeltsin stepped down as president, Berezovsky used his money to help current Russian president Vladimir Putin attain office. Now Putin is attempting to crack down on the organized crime activities of the "oligarches" and bring some stability to the Russian economy.

The article is an excerpt from the book, "Godfather of the Kremlin" by Paul Klebnikov and follows the career of Berezovsky. He shows the violent side of the underworld in Russia and the devastating effect it has had on the Russian economy. Since the fall

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The Russian government is using the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) to combat organized crime. There have been raids, arrests and property seizures. President Putin is attempting to separate himself from Berezovsky and any appearance of impropriety. He has authorized numerous operations by the MVD to crack down on organized crime. Russia, however faces the same problem other countries do when trying to fight organized crime. Berezovsky's crime empire spans the globe. He does not only have a vast empire in Russia, but he has numerous financial holdings from Western Europe to the Caribbean.

The article begins with an American, Page Thompson, going to Russia after the fall of communism in an attempt to sell car parts and used American automobiles to Russian dealers. He sets up a deal with Berezovsky's company and then asked for a letter of credit to show good faith. Thompson is told to go to Switzerland where a letter will be waiting for him at an office belonging to Forus Services S.A. Thompson went to Switzerland but the letter was not ready yet. He was told it would be ready within a week. Thompson also noticed the office of Forus had nothing in it except some desks, chairs and three employees. There were no files or anything that would make it appear that financial business was conducted in the office. He later found out that Forus was owned in part by

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 981
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)