Some traditions die hard. Corruption in the old Soviet Union was always an issue. But now it's taken on a very different form: corporate raiding.

According to this article in the Moscow Times, the name of the game is picking up businesses for either next to nothing, or nothing at all. And it's done with the semi-official approval.

"The raiders often include former intelligence and Police Officers, lawyers and people with ties to well-placed state officials. On their payrolls are judges, prosecutors and bureaucrats at all levels. Through them, the raiders can order a search of a business, gather information about the owner, and falsify whatever documents they need to gain control of their target.

"An estimated 50 percent of all illegal takeovers involve stores or office space. The raiders are usually interested in the property where businesses are located, which can be rented out at a significant profit or demolished to make way for the construction of larger, more modern buildings ... There are no exact figures for how many raider attacks occur annually across the country ... Part of the reason it is hard to gain an idea of the scope of the problem is a general lack of trust in the authorities. Few victims ever report their cases to the police, prosecutors or the Federal Security Service, because they believe officials are in league with the raiders."

It's an alarming read, because it reminds us how corruption is usually part of a much broader system. And that's true, wherever it occurs.