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- Trial by case: Russia has opened a record number of money laundering cases in 15 years
Trial by case: Russia has opened a record number of money laundering cases in 15 years
In Russia, the number of money laundering cases has jumped by a third. From January to June, there were 1,145 of them, which is a record for the last 15 years. This growth has been observed for the second year in a row. This is due to the increased control of the authorities and the development of digital tools for conducting inspections. Recent cases include the cases of former Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov and members of a group in Kamchatka who legalized at least 712 million rubles. The number of detected bribes also increased in 2026. How illegal income is usually laundered and why the authorities are increasingly able to identify these schemes — in the Izvestia article.
Why is the number of money laundering cases increasing
In the first half of 2026, 1,145 money laundering crimes were detected in Russia. Compared to January–June of last year, the figure jumped by about a third, according to the Interior Ministry's report "The State of Crime in Russia," which the agency publishes monthly (Izvestia analyzed the document). This has been the second consecutive year of such growth.
Half of the crimes involved cases of money laundering in large (from 1.5 million rubles) and especially large (from 6 million rubles) amounts — 574 episodes. According to the Ministry, the number of such violations has increased by almost a quarter in a year. Izvestia asked the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office to comment on the reasons for the increase in the number of such cases.
Money laundering is the commission of financial transactions with funds and property obtained by criminal means in order to give them the appearance of legitimate origin, lawyer Yevgeny Pantaziy recalled. Such cases, as a rule, do not exist separately: they are often initiated together with investigations into major crimes such as fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement of budget funds, drug trafficking or corruption.
The record number of crimes detected in the first half of the year is largely due to the development of digital control tools, says lawyer and human rights activist Ekaterina Kutuzova. The algorithms of the Bank of Russia, the Federal Tax Service, Rosfinmonitoring and law enforcement agencies make it possible to detect suspicious financial transactions much faster. Specialists can track the flow of funds, find transit transactions, connections between companies, splitting payments and suspicious contractual structures, Evgeny Pantaziy added. In addition, the authorities have tightened the control itself.
How criminals legalize money
Among the most common money laundering schemes are transfers through chains of controlled companies, fictitious loan agreements, imaginary supplies of goods and services, as well as the purchase of real estate and cars, explained Alexander Khaminsky, lawyer and head of the Law Enforcement Center in Moscow and the Moscow Region. In addition, he continued, participants in the crime often use cryptocurrencies to conceal the origin and movement of funds.
For example, on June 26, it became known that a case had been opened in Kamchatka against four members of a criminal group. Over the years, the suspects stole more than 1 billion rubles and transferred the money to the accounts of companies under their control. The attackers conducted more than a thousand financial transactions for 443 million and concluded three transactions for another 269 million, laundering a total of at least 712 million.
Earlier this year, a case was opened against ex-First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Ruslan Tsalikov. It was noted that in the period from 2017 to 2024, he created a criminal community, whose members stole budget funds, laundered money and received bribes. This was announced by the official representative of the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko in March.
A month earlier, another high-profile case was opened. Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said that a resident of the Krasnodar Territory had been conducting financial transactions for several years to legalize 3 billion rubles.
The punishment for laundering money obtained by criminal means depends on the circumstances of the case and the severity of the crime, said lawyer Alexander Khaminsky. For example, with a simple offense, a fine of up to 120 thousand rubles, compulsory or forced labor is possible. If an organized group participated, the funds were laundered on an especially large scale or using official position, the maximum penalty can reach seven years in prison with a fine of up to 1 million rubles, the expert added.
How many bribery cases were opened in 2026
The number of bribery-related crimes also increased in the first half of 2026. According to the Interior Ministry, 14.4 thousand such cases were identified in Russia, which is 12.5% more than a year earlier. Of these, 6 thousand episodes are related to receiving and giving bribes. And the rest — with mediation.
Most often, such crimes are related to decisions in the field of government contracts, the acceptance of various jobs, the issuance of permits, approvals, inspections, the distribution of orders, as well as employment and general patronage, said lawyer Evgeny Pantaziy. In this case, money may not be transferred directly: funds are spent through intermediaries or in another form, for example, in the form of property, repairs, trips, and services, he explained.
In modern schemes, bribes are also often hidden under the guise of legitimate operations: imaginary consulting services, tuition fees for relatives of officials, or inflated expenses under government contracts, lawyer Ekaterina Kutuzova added.
Receiving a particularly large bribe (from 1 million) is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Yevgeny Pantaziy recalled. The same term can be imposed for giving a bribe, and for mediation — up to 12 years.
For example, on June 17, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against the ex-governor of the Chelyabinsk Region, Boris Dubrovsky. It is noted that he received 34 million through intermediaries from the then-acting owner of Yuzhuralmost JSC Gennady Wilshenko.
Boris Dubrovsky, ex-Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region
Earlier in February, Anton Dzhalyabov, deputy chairman of the Gazprom Neft management Board, was detained in a bribery case. According to investigators, he used part of the funds received to purchase real estate in Sochi. In addition, he is charged with receiving a boat worth more than 1.7 million rubles. It was clarified that these episodes relate to the period of his work in another position.
In order to continue effectively detecting crimes related to money laundering and bribery, the authorities should focus on three measures. Firstly, they need to expand the use of the digital ruble in the field of government contracts, lawyer Ekaterina Kutuzova believes. The technology of "coloring" funds, as the expert notes, will increase the transparency of their movement and reduce the risks of misuse.
The digital ruble has been allowed to be used in the budget process since this year. Further, starting from July 1, 2027, this practice will extend to regional and municipal budgets. At the same time, the mass introduction of the digital ruble for citizens and businesses will begin on September 1, 2026 with the largest banks and large trading companies, and all credit institutions should be connected in stages until September 2028.
Another direction may be the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies into the public procurement system to identify related participants and suspicious schemes already at the stage of tenders. In addition, in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to speed up the exchange of information between commercial banks and law enforcement agencies by reducing administrative procedures.
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