WikiLeaks: Russia a virtual mafia

London, Dec 2: Russia is a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in which officials and organized crime are bound together to create a "virtual mafia state", according to classified US diplomatic cables released by whistleblower website Wikileaks.

According to the Guardian, the cables paint a bleak picture of a political system in which bribery alone totals an estimated 300 billion dollars a year.

In a startling briefing for US officials in January, Gonzalez said, "Russia was a virtual mafia state in which one cannot differentiate between the activities of the government and OC [organized crime] groups".

Gonzalez said that, he had evidence that certain political parties in Russia worked hand in hand with mafia groups.

The allegations come hours before Putin was due to address FIFA's Executive Committee in Zurich in support of Russia's bid to host the 2018 football World Cup.

ANI