Sharp rise in bribery recorded in Russia – The Moscow Times

Russia has seen a sharp increase in bribery-related offences amid the war and a slowdown in economic growth.

Source: The Moscow Times, citing Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office

Details: In the first quarter of 2025, the number of bribery-related offences rose by 29% year-on-year, from 7,300 to 9,418. Throughout 2024, a total of 23,240 such offences were recorded – an increase of 14.6% compared to 2023.

At the same time, the share of petty bribery cases has significantly declined: while they made up 48.2% of all cases in 2017, they dropped to 27% in 2024 and just 20.3% in the first quarter of 2025.

Bribery now accounts for over half of all corruption-related offences: 55.7% in 2023, 60.3% in 2024, and 60.9% in the first quarter of 2025.

"Law enforcement agencies recorded a 65.7% increase in major and especially large-scale corruption offences, including those causing serious or particularly serious damage – a total of 3,735 cases," the publication reports.

The total number of corruption crimes rose by 24% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 15,458. The number of crimes committed by organised groups or criminal associations also surged by 46.5%, from 1,102 to 1,614. In the first quarter of 2025, 5,478 people were held accountable for corruption, compared to 4,856 in the same period last year.

Background:

• Earlier reports indicated that Russians are increasingly struggling to repay loans taken out during the lending boom of 2023 and early 2024. The volume and share of non-performing loans – including mortgages, consumer loans and car loans – have risen by nearly RUB 200 billion (approx. US$2.5 billion) in Q1, or roughly RUB 2 billion (US$25 million) per day.
• Russian authorities also reported the first acceleration in inflation in six months following a key interest rate cut by Russia’s central bank.
• In addition, Ukrainian intelligence has stated that many Russian companies have lost major foreign assets as a result of international sanctions, nationalisations and severed partnerships. Affected companies include Gazprom, Sberbank, Rosneft, Lukoil, VTB, Rostec, Rosatom and others.

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