Why were pickpockets in Old Russia considered aristocrats of the criminal underworld?

Until the early 18th century, Russian clothing had no pockets; money was carried in a ‘moshna’ – a small pouch or bag attached to the belt. Consequently, the precursors to modern pickpockets were known as ‘moshenniki’ (aka swindlers, derived from ‘moshna’).

By that same century, the techniques used to commit crimes had become so diverse that they required specialized experience and skill. As a result, a division emerged among criminals. Some specialized in pickpocketing, others in thefts at bathhouses, thefts from carts and wagons, street robberies, burglaries and highway robbery and so on.

Pickpocketing became truly widespread in the 19th century, as paper money entered circulation and the number of wealthy individuals in cities grew. By the early 20th century, St. Petersburg was arguably the most crime-ridden city in Europe (the capital attracted everyone). In 1900, the St. Petersburg District Court handled 227 murder cases, 427 cases of armed robbery, 1,171 cases of assault and 2,197 cases of theft and larceny.

Yet, pickpockets were regarded as highly skilled criminals. They ranked above robbers and murderers, though below card sharks and counterfeiters. They viewed any form of physical violence – especially murder – as a low and sordid act; they held murderers in contempt, relegating them to the lowest caste.

Pickpocketing was akin to an art form. The primary skills of a pickpocket included sleight of hand, the ability to distract a victim and the capacity to operate within a crowd. Sometimes, they employed tools such as tweezers, fishing hooks, small tongs or tiny blades.

That’s why training often began in childhood. In every major city across the empire, there were clandestine and underground "schools" where seasoned and experienced thieves trained the next generation. Veteran pickpockets would attach small bells to a coat and teach boys how to extract a banknote from a pocket without causing a single bell to ring.

Specializations & ‘Stars’

‘Marvikhery’ (from the Yiddish word מרוויחער or ‘marvikher’, meaning ‘thief’) represented the elite of the criminal underworld in pre-revolutionary Russia. Unlike common pickpockets, they operated in upscale settings – restaurants, theaters and exhibitions – possessing aristocratic manners and fluency in foreign languages. According to a 1903 police handbook containing photographs of professional criminals, they were officially classified as "high-class pickpockets". Many were international, itinerant thieves who traveled freely throughout Europe. In his 1897 essay ‘The Thief’, writer Alexander Kuprin described a ‘marvikher’ as follows: "He is short in stature, lean, agile and quick in his movements." A ‘marvikher’ would never work alone; he would always bring an accomplice – often his romantic partner.

‘Shirmoshniki’ (or ‘shirmachi’) were thieves who used a cloak or raincoat, a newspaper or a bouquet of flowers as a "screen" (or ‘shirma’) to conceal their actions. The thief would approach a victim in a crowd, on the street, at the theater or on public transport, holding a newspaper or a coat draped over their arm. Under this cover, they would stealthily reach into an upper pocket, such as one on a jacket or overcoat. The victim would not see the movement and those nearby would remain unaware of the theft. These thieves relied solely on the dexterity of their fingers and the ability to divert attention. This method was considered "clean work" and was highly regarded in the criminal underworld, as it required a certain flair and lightning-fast reactions.

‘Shakers’ (‘tryasuny’) operated in dense crowds, most often on public transport: on buses, trams, at train stations or in packed railway carriages. A thief would press against a victim and, using sharp, precise shoves or a "shaking" motion, dislodge a wallet from an inner pocket. They acted with brazen speed, often working in pairs: one would distract or jostle the victim, while the other emptied their pockets. ‘Shakers’ were seen as the "workhorses" of the criminal world; their craft was more crude, but it provided a steady income.

‘Cutters’ (‘pisari’ or ‘rezaki’) would slice through clothing or bags to get to their target's money. Their primary tool was a ‘cutter’ (‘piska’) – either a coin with an edge sharpened to a razor's edge or a small blade concealed within a ring or bracelet.

‘Night thieves’ (‘nochniki’) targeted people who had fallen asleep. They operated on trains, at railway stations, in shelters, taverns and cheap hotels – anywhere that exhausted or intoxicated individuals might drift off to sleep in a public or semi-public space. The thief would approach a sleeping person and pretend to be trying to wake them up or adjust their clothing, all the while "cleaning out" their pockets.

‘Khipes’ thieves were prostitutes who would meet wealthy clients and rob them. The name derives from the thieves' slang term ‘khipes* (from the Yiddish word זוכן meaning ‘to search’). They usually operated in tandem with an accomplice – known as a ‘kot’ (‘tom-cat’) – who looked out for the interests of his ‘koshka’ (‘she-cat’): while the woman entertained the client in a room, her partner would rifle through the pockets of the clothing left in the hallway, making off with money, watches and jewelry. The most successful of these thieves amassed considerable fortunes; for instance, infamous St. Petersburg thief Marfushka had accumulated a capital of 90,000 rubles by the early 20th century, while her colleague Sonka Sinichka had amassed 25,000 rubles, using the funds to open a fashionable workshop. Such criminal partnerships were most often exposed, due to quarrels over the division of the spoils; aggrieved "she-cats" would frequently report their accomplices to the police.

The criminal underworld had its own celebrities, as well. The figure of Vanka Kain (Ivan Osipov; 1718 – after 1755) began to attract public attention during his own lifetime. A thief officially recognized by the authorities as an "informer", he operated much like a detective, utilizing a network of agents and his knowledge of the criminal world to combat its members. Thus, the organization of Moscow's criminal community unexpectedly influenced the development of criminal investigation in Russia.

The most famous pickpocket of pre-revolutionary Russia was ‘Sonka the Golden Hand’ (real name: Sheindlya-Sura Leibovna Solomoniak-Blyuvshtein; 1846–1902). She began stealing in early childhood, picking the pockets of merchants at the market; as she grew older, she learned to conceal diamonds beneath her fingernails. She became known as the "queen of Odessa pickpockets", capable of transforming herself into a high-society lady, a nun or a simple maidservant.

The Thieves' Code

The criminal underworld was primarily composed of marginalized individuals: deserters, city dwellers who had lost their ties to their communities, peasants, former factory workers and orphans. Most of these criminals were not provincials seeking a better life in the city, but rather urbanites themselves. Almost all of them had turned to a life of crime at a young age, driven by dire circumstances.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, pickpockets followed an unwritten code. According to this code, a thief was forbidden from engaging in "honest" labor, which was considered to be for "suckers", and was also prohibited from committing murder or violent robbery. A pickpocket’s primary tools were sleight of hand and a flair for performance.

There was a strict prohibition against stealing from other thieves or members of one’s own group. This rule fostered internal trust and enabled pickpockets to work in coordination. Another rule dictated that one must never take all of a victim’s money; a thief was expected to leave behind a small sum – enough for the person to afford a meal or transportation. This practice reduced the risk that the victim would give chase or raise an alarm.

True professionals, especially the older ones with more experience, made a point of avoiding the elderly or the impoverished as targets. Their "clients" were almost exclusively wealthy individuals, who could afford the loss of a wallet.

This code earned pickpockets a reputation as the "most noble" of thieves. Even police officers acknowledged that pickpockets stood apart in the criminal underworld.

The situation began to change in Summer 1908, when the law ‘On the Organization of the Detective Division’ was enacted and detective units of four different categories were established within police departments. Pickpockets were then grouped together with horse thieves and burglars. And an all-out war was declared against them.