Russia’s Interior Ministry reports 40% decline in crimes committed by foreign nationals

The number of crimes committed by foreign nationals in Russia fell by 40% in the first half of 2026, compared with the same period last year, according to Russia’s Interior Ministry. The figure was announced by Andrei Kikot, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and head of the ministry’s Service for Citizenship and Registration of Foreign Nationals, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin published the remarks on its website. “While last year we saw a slight increase in the number of crimes committed by foreigners, with that figure reaching 41,000, this year we are seeing a sharp decline: in the first half of the year, 14,500 crimes were registered, which is a decrease of 40 percent,” Kikot said. He attributed the decline partly to the expanded powers of the migration service.

By presidential order, the agency was given additional responsibilities for crime prevention, as well as powers to conduct operational investigative activities and inquiries under relevant legislation. According to Kikot, the service is focusing primarily on organized crime, criminal schemes and channels of illegal migration rather than minor and less serious offenses. The agency has also stepped up efforts to identify underground printing operations producing forged documents used to register and legalize labor migrants. As a result, the number of organized criminal groups identified increased by 30%, he said. Moscow and St. Petersburg account for nearly half of crimes Kikot said Moscow, the Moscow Region and St. Petersburg account for just under half of all crimes committed by foreign nationals. He attributed this partly to the large number of foreigners living in and arriving in these regions. The remaining regions of Russia account for an average of 2–3% of such…