Russia is a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which officials, oligarchs and organised crime are bound together to create a "virtual mafia state", according to leaked secret diplomatic cables that provide a damning American assessment of its erstwhile rival superpower.
Arms trafficking, money laundering, personal enrichment, protection for gangsters, extortion and kickbacks, suitcases full of money and secret offshore bank accounts in Cyprus: the cables paint a bleak picture of a political system in which bribery alone totals an estimated $300bn a year, and in which it is often hard to distinguish between the activities of the government and organised crime.
Guardian
Sky News' Moscow correspondent Amanda Walker said the Russian bid offered "a new market for Fifa".
She added: "Russia's bid team always said it would never be ready to host the World Cup tomorrow – now the pressure is on to make sure it's ready by 2018."
Sky News
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