In 2023, the crime rate in Russia reached approximately 1,300 offenses per 100,000 population, marking a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Over the period from 2015 to 2023, the rate saw a decline by 303 registered crimes per 100,000 people. What are the most common offenses in Russia? Fraud and theft are the most frequent types of crime in Russia. New types of fraud emerged with the development of digital banking, including crimes related to personal data thefts, access to bank accounts, and unauthorized payment card transactions. Approximately 40 percent of crimes in Russia are of little gravity. Criminals’ profile The largest share of people who committed offenses in Russia are aged between 30 and 49 years, among both genders. While most criminals in the country finished up to nine school classes, more than one third of all perpetrators received a secondary professional education. Furthermore, among female criminals, over 15 percent are university graduates.

The homicide rate in Russia reached 3.2 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. The indicator has declined steadily since 2002, when it was measured at 30.7 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Over the years observed, the highest rate was recorded at 32.6 homicides per 100,000 persons in 1994. Homicide in Russia The significant decrease in intentional homicides characterizes the general reduction in crime in Russia since the 1990s. However, murder remains one of the major causes of death in the country. In total, over 7,600 homicides and attempted homicides were recorded in Russia in 2022. Victims of homicide The number of male victims of homicide per 100,000 inhabitants in Russia was approximately three times higher than the murder rate of women. A United Nations study showed that while most people who were killed around the globe were men, women were most likely to be murdered by their partners, ex-partners, and family members.

Approximately 98 percent of female criminals in Russia in 2021 possessed a Russian passport. Among men who committed a crime in the country, nearly four percent had a nationality of another state or were classified as stateless persons.

The most common type of crime registered in Russia in the first 10 months of 2022 was theft, occupying nearly 36 percent of the total number of offenses recorded by national law enforcement authorities. Furthermore, almost 17 percent of crimes were classified as fraud.

Most crimes in Russia were registered in Moscow, where law enforcement authorities recorded approximately 134,000 offenses in 2023. In the Krasnodar Krai, around 74,500 criminal acts were observed.

Around 1.9 million crimes were registered by authorities in Russia in 2024, marking a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Over the observed period, the number of offenses recorded in Russia was significantly high at approximately 3.86 million cases in 2006, after which this figure saw a gradual decline.

In 2022, over 138,000 crimes were recorded in Moscow, the Russian capital. The number of crimes registered by the city's authorities decreased by approximately 48,000 between 2015 and 2020. Among other federal subjects of the country, Moscow had the highest number of crimes registered each year.

In 2024, over 6,600 criminal offenses committed under drug intoxication were recorded by Russian law enforcement authorities. The number of such incidents has continuously declined since 2016, when offenders in over 28,000 crimes were under the influence of narcotic substances.

Nearly 60.1 percent of women who committed a crime in Russia in 2021 belonged to the age category between 30 and 49 years old, while the share of male criminals of that age was measured at approximately 55.7 percent. Furthermore, over 15 percent of female offenders were aged 50 years and older.

In Saint Petersburg, the second-largest city of Russia also referred to as the cultural capital of the country, the number of registered crimes increased in 2023, measuring at around 67,000. In the previous year, Saint Petersburg's law enforcement authorities recorded approximately 4,000 fewer crimes.

The number of male homicides in Russia amounted to 8.28 thousand in 2019, which was more than five thousand higher than the count of female homicides. The number of murders of men in the country was approximately as twice as low as in 1990. Over the observed period, the female homicide count was the highest at 11.3 thousand in 1994.

The Novgorod Oblast and the Republic of Karelia in Russia were the country's federal subjects with the largest share of crimes committed by underage persons or where they acted as co-perpetrators in 2023. Furthermore, in the Tyva Republic, criminal cases involving youth accounted for over five percent of the total.

Russia's female homicide rate was slightly below four crimes per 100 thousand population in 2019, marking a decline from 2015. That was more than three times lower than the number of male homicides per 100 thousand inhabitants. The total homicide rate in the country reached 4.7 per 100 thousand people in 2020.

In 2023, 677,000 crimes in Russia were committed using the internet, digital devices, or other telecommunication technologies. The number of technology crimes increased compared to the previous year.

The most common type of crime committed on streets and in squares and parks of Russia was theft, having occupied 35 percent of the total offenses recorded in these areas in 2023. Road offenses accounted for approximately 22 percent of criminal acts committed outside.

Over 103 thousand crimes against juveniles were registered in Russia in 2021. Over the observed years, the lowest number of such crimes was recorded in 2016, after which it sharply increased and continued to rise.

In 2023, nearly 142,500 especially grave crimes recorded in Russia, for which the punishment involved over 10 years in custody or a more severe measure. Compared to the previous year, the number of such crimes in the country increased by 14 percent.

In 2023, over 223,000 crimes were committed by persons under alcohol intoxication. The figure gradually has decreased since 2016, when approximately 440,000 criminal cases involved offenders who consumed more alcohol than allowed by law.

In 2024, the number of crimes that were committed using the internet, digital devices, or other telecommunication technologies increased in Russia. The number of technology crimes was the highest over the observed period.

Nearly 15 thousand domestic violence crimes in Russia were committed against spouses in 2021. In most cases, victims of those crimes were wives. In 2016 and 2017, the country's laws decriminalized non-aggravated battery and battery within a family that resulted in no serious harm, unless it took place repeatedly.