Support The Moscow Times!

Russia's Most Corrupt Regions Announced

Moerschy / Pixabay

Russia's western region of Kursk has topped a new list of the most corrupt regions in the country, a report by the Prosecutor General’s Office revealed Wednesday.

The corruption index, published in the Izvestia newspaper, was compiled using crime data for bribery-related offenses in the first six months of 2016.

The Kursk region, which shares a border with Ukraine,  reported 257 corruption-related offenses, a 189 percent increase on the same period in 2015.

The central Republic of Udmurtia came in second place with recorded 79 corruption-related crimes, followed by the Astrakhan region with 74 offenses.

The report, which registered a 2 percent nationwide rise in corruption overall, also named Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the northern Arkhangelsk region and the Smolensk region as the country's least corrupt.

Oleg Matveichev, professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia that the report was limited as it only used crime figures.

“It’s important to carry out surveys on local populations," he said.  "It’s ordinary people who face corruption.

“Experts and further analysis should be employed alongside statistics. Once you have the most varied data possible, then you can compile more accurate ratings for individual regions.” Matveichev said.

The Kursk regional government declined to comment on the report’s findings, Izvestia reported.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more