Police officers in southern Russia’s Rostov region are being reimbursed the amounts they are offered in bribes as part of what authorities describe as a new anti-corruption initiative, the region’s police chief said Tuesday.
Alexander Rechitsky, head of the Rostov region branch of the Interior Ministry, told reporters that officers who refuse bribes will now be compensated in full as a reward for their integrity, essentially receiving the money anyway.
“Every bribe offered to an employee is reimbursed in full under my directive,” Rechitsky said, according to the state-run news agency TASS. He called the policy “a reward for demonstrating a strong anti-corruption stance.”
Rechitsky said the force had launched 25 criminal cases against suspected bribe-givers over the past two months, but did not disclose how much money had been offered to officers.
Since January, police in the Rostov region have reportedly prevented 260 bribery attempts, 135 of which were uncovered by officers themselves. In total, authorities said they identified 767 corruption-related offenses in the first half of 2025.
Rechitsky said police priorities for the remainder of the year include cracking down on phone scams, financial fraud, illegal logging and the trafficking of alcohol and drugs.
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