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- At face value: the number of money laundering cases has increased by a third in the Russian Federation
At face value: the number of money laundering cases has increased by a third in the Russian Federation
The number of money laundering cases has increased by a third in Russia. In the first half of 2025, 862 such cases were initiated, half of them on a large and especially large scale (starting from 6 million rubles), according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs studied by Izvestia. The number of detected bribes also increased by 20%, to 17 thousand. This year's high—profile cases include the trial of former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov for legalizing almost 4 billion rubles, placing blogger Alexandra Mitroshina under house arrest for laundering 127 million rubles, and charging Krasnoyarsk Mayor Vladislav Loginov with bribery and the director of the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky to Vladimir Kekhman for the "gift" in the form of a Mercedes. How illegal income is usually laundered and why the authorities are increasingly able to identify these schemes — in the Izvestia article.
Popular Money Laundering Schemes in 2025
In January–June 2025, 862 crimes related to money laundering were identified in Russia, a procedure for concealing the origin of illegal income (including those obtained through tax evasion) in order to make them look legitimate. Compared to last year, the number of such cases increased by 33%, according to the July statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Izvestia analyzed it).
Half of the violations concerned the legalization of funds in large (from 1.5 million rubles) and especially large (from 6 million rubles) amounts. According to the agency, the number of such cases has increased almost one and a half times. The editorial board sent a request to the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office.
Today, one of the most popular schemes for money laundering remains cashing out through one-day firms created specifically for these purposes, said the managing partner of the Pen Bar Association. & Paper by Alexey Dobrynin.
— Investments in real estate, precious metals, and securities through front persons are popular. New schemes are also emerging — through microfinance organizations, fictitious funds and money transfers abroad through third countries," said Vladimir Chernov, analyst at Freedom Finance Global.
For example, in July, former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov received 13 years in prison for embezzling 216 million rubles when buying ferries for the Kerch ferry and embezzling and laundering almost 4 billion from the bank "Intercommerce". The investigation found that the ferries were purchased through a chain of foreign firms, and the difference from resale after the euro exchange rate rise was legalized under the guise of payment for services, currency transactions and loan repayment through controlled companies.
The role of cryptocurrencies is also growing — they are used to conceal the origin of money, transfer funds and their subsequent laundering.
— For example, a person sells drugs and receives payment in bitcoins. Living in Russia, he needs rubles and converts cryptocurrency into cash, including through bank cards issued to other persons," said Sergey Matyunin, lawyer, partner of the Moscow ICA LKP Protection of Business.
Anonymous accounts, deposits for small amounts, or loans repaid with illegal income are often used. Large sums are often divided into parts and placed in foreign banks in order to use them later, Alexey Dobrynin continued.
So, in May, 10 people suspected of laundering 1 billion rubles were detained in the Moscow region. According to investigators, they used bank cards in the names of foreigners and used the darknet to cash out the proceeds from the sale of drugs, and then legalized them.
Money is often laundered through real estate transactions, when criminal proceeds are invested in commercial or residential properties through front persons in order to sell them later, said Nadezhda Kapustina, professor at the Department of Economic Security and Risk Management at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the authorities are increasingly paying attention to the legalization of money received from non-payment of taxes, Sergei Matyunin added.
For example, in March, the popular blogger Alexandra Mitroshina was detained. She evaded paying taxes, receiving over 127 million, and legalized them by buying a three-room apartment on Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street in Moscow with an area of 111 square meters. m. According to the same article, another blogger Huseyn Hasanov was put on the wanted list in May. A little earlier, the author of the Marathon of Desires, Elena Blinovskaya, was sentenced to five years in a penal colony. According to investigators, the accused, through her husband's mediation, did not transfer the fees for 906 million and laundered 706 million.
For the legalization of income on a particularly large scale, one can face up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to 1 million or the sum of the convicted person's income for five years, Alexey Dobrynin said.
Who was accused of taking bribes in 2025
In the first half of 2025, the number of cases involving bribes also increased by 20%, to almost 17 thousand, according to the Interior Ministry. Of these, 5,000 cases were initiated for receiving and offering money, and in other cases for mediation and minor bribes.
Alexandra Koroleva, a lawyer at the Leges Bureau, a member of the Russian Bar Association, listed the main areas where such crimes are most often committed.:
— State and municipal procurement;
— healthcare and education — through tenders and obtaining permits;
— local governments and law enforcement agencies — for appointments, patronage and loyalty during inspections;
— the financial sector and the construction business — through tax evasion and cashing schemes.
According to media reports, corruption cases were opened in Russia in the first quarter of 2025 against at least 99 deputies and high-ranking officials, said Nadezhda Kapustina from the Financial University. And in six months, 596 people with special legal status were brought to justice, she added.
One of the most high-profile cases was that of Krasnoyarsk Mayor Vladislav Loginov, who was detained in June. According to the Investigative Committee, in 2018-2024, he received over 180 million bribes from the CEO of a commercial firm "in the form of money and payment for the construction of a bathhouse" for helping the company win a road repair competition.
Maxim Egorov, the former governor of the Tambov Region, was also arrested in the summer. He is suspected of having received 84 million for assistance in getting into public service and general patronage.
Other high—profile cases include the detention of Konstantin Kuranov, head of the Novgorod Ministry of Transport, for a bribe of 250 million and Stanislav Shultsev, deputy chairman of the government of the same region, as well as Vadim Shamarin, ex-deputy head of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, for a "gift" of 36 million. And at the end of July, a criminal case was opened against the director of the Moscow Art Theater named after him. Gorky and Vladimir Kekhman, artistic director of the Mikhailovsky Theater, are accused of receiving a bribe in the form of a Mercedes for 27 million.
Receiving a particularly large bribe can result in eight to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to 70 times the amount of the bribe. The same punishment has been imposed for giving, Alexey Dobrynin from Pen&Paper recalled.
Why is the number of cases of money laundering and bribery in Russia increasing?
The increase in the number of detected laundering and bribery crimes is the result of both increased control and digitalization of operations, as well as an objective increase in the number of schemes, especially as businesses and officials adapt to new economic and sanctions conditions, said Vladimir Chernov of Freedom Finance Global. According to him, in conditions of high inflation and increased competition for government contracts, interest in shadow schemes is naturally increasing. At the same time, the technical arsenal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Tax Service is also increasing, including work through automatic systems, AI analytics of banking operations and interdepartmental data exchange, the expert added.
Control, in turn, is being strengthened due to the need to replenish the deficit budget, said lawyer Sergey Matyunin. For example, in 2025, the powers of Rosfinmonitoring to block transfers to combat money laundering were expanded, Alexey Dobrynin from Pen&Paper recalled. If the source of funds is suspected, the operation may be frozen for 10-30 days for verification. Tax control over suspicious transactions has also been strengthened — frequent receipt of large amounts from different persons may attract the attention of supervisory authorities.
In the future, effective measures to combat such crimes may include the development of digitalization of document management and increased access of regulatory authorities to real-time data, tougher liability for involvement in money laundering chains, including nominee directors and accountants, as well as increased transparency of public procurement, including through the transition to the digital ruble, listed Vladimir Chernov.
International cooperation is also needed, as modern legalization schemes are often cross-border in nature, added Nadezhda Kapustina from the Financial University. According to her, the rapid exchange of data between financial intelligence agencies of different countries is becoming a priority. However, in the current geopolitical conditions, interaction with a number of states is difficult. Russia's membership in the FATF (the international Financial Action Task Force on money laundering) has now been suspended for political reasons.
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