The so-called Russian mafiya, comprised of between 3,000 and 4,000 gangs operating in the country, has undermined reform, generated extreme levels of violence in the major cities, and promoted a growing ultranationalist backlash to attempts at democratization. While total gang membership in Russia is estimated at less than 100,000 persons, the inability or unwillingness of the government to confront the problem has allowed mafiya groups to penetrate most areas of the Russian economy, giving them disproportionate influence. According to official statistics, organized crime controlled as much as 40 percent of the turnover in goods and services by 1993. Gangs have infiltrated banks, real estate markets, and stock exchanges. Organized criminal gangs are also active in the growing international narcotics trade operating out of Central Asia and involved in the marketing of weapons stolen from the disbanded Red Army. More than half the country's criminal groups in 1992 had ties to the government. The Russian mafiya threatens Russian independence and democracy.