To:
[email protected]
Date: April 27, 2009
Subject: Greetings from Odesa!
From:
[email protected]
I received the information you provided. Let me give you some background information on the
Bank of Odesa, which has the account you are interested in.
The bank was established in 1820, making it the oldest in Odesa and one of the oldest in Ukraine. In 1945, however, the
Ukrainian Mafia took over the bank's ownership to launder money earned from illegal activities. The KGB often called upon the mafia to assist them with special "unauthorized" operations during the Cold War.
Today, it is still controlled by the mafia, which has grown significantly in power since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The mafia is rich and sophisticated, so it will be difficult to obtain the information you seek. I will report back to you in a few months when I learn more.