http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/17/magazine/17BOUT.html
(registration required, but it's free)
It's a New York Times profile of a man alleged to be the world's biggest illegal arms dealer. There's also a bit in there on Trans-Dniester, an ex-Soviet splinter run by criminals, ex-Communists, and an oddly-named corporation who's main resources is a giant ex-Red Army base that was used for tests on the effects of radioactivity on plants...