Mr. A.I. Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, held a meeting on countering cybercrime and the use of digital technologies in the investigation of crimes. The event was attended by: Mr. E.V. Kaburneev, First Deputy Chairman of the IC of Russia, Mr. S.N. Goryainov - Deputy Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Mr. K.E. Korpusov - Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia - Head of the Main Military Investigative Directorate, Mr. D.V. Kolesnikov - Head of the Main Investigative Directorate, Mr. A.I. Sazonov - Head of the Main Forensic Directorate (Forensic Center), Mr. M.A. Ignashkin - Acting Director of the Forensic Expert Center, Mr. K.P. Komarda - Head of the Directorate for the Investigation of Cybercrimes and Crimes of High Technologies of the Main Investigative Directorate, Mr. A.A. Bessonov - Acting Rector of the Moscow Academy, as well as Heads of Divisions of the Main Directorate; Mr. V.V. Loboda, Acting Rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee, attended the meeting via video conferencing.

The Head of the Department noted that cybercrime is a serious threat to society. Cyberspace is being used to involve young people in various radical movements, and to harm children. There is a tendency for cyber scammers to be cynical towards the older generation, scammers use the gullibility of older people to steal their funds. IT infrastructure, citizens and organizations are harmed.

According to the statistics provided by Mr. A.I. Bastrykin, an increase in the number of acts committed with the use of IT technologies over the past has been recorded. If in 2020 the investigative bodies of the department investigated 11.5 thousand of such crimes, then in 2021 - it is already more than 12 thousand, in just 10 months of this year - 13 thousand acts. The active work of the investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia made it possible to achieve significant results in this area in comparison with last year, the number of criminal cases increased by 12%, cases sent to court increased from 4592 to 5155. the amount of about 1.2 billion has been reimburced at the stage of investigation. In addition, the property of the accused has been confiscated on more than 1.5 billion rubles.

Taking into account the high urgency of the problem, during the meeting, Mr. A.I. Bastrykin proposed to formulate the main directions of the Investigative Committee future development program in the IT sector using exclusively domestic technologies. The Chairman listened to a number of Heads of Divisions on the matter.

Officers of the Main Directorate proposed to work out the issue of concluding cooperation agreements with a number of companies operating in the field of information technology, cybersecurity, which have tools for processing large amounts of data. Such agreements will expedite the exchange of information through electronic communication channels with these companies. The possibilities that they have greatly help criminal investigation process. The Head of the Department instructed to study this issue carefully, ensuring the exclusion of any possibility of causing harm to state bodies and citizens as the mentioned companies become aware of the confidential type of information.

The meeting participants discussed the initiative to create a unified forensic accounting of electronic traces within the digitalization development of the Department. Such database will improve the interaction between investigators from different regions, if the same persons committed crimes in several subjects of the Russian Federation.

The Chairman was informed that forensic activities already use special hardware and software systems for the analysis of digital information, which are produced in Russia, taking into account the accepted reference point for the use of domestic technology. Their efficiency is not inferior to foreign counterparts.

The meeting participants noted the need for legislative clarification of a number of categories. The issue of documenting the status of digital currency and the mechanism for seizing it in the criminal procedure legislation remains relevant. It is a financial instrument that increasingly acts as a method of payment between accomplices in crime.

At the meeting, considerable attention was also paid to the issue of personnel training in the investigation of cybercrimes. It was proposed to create a portal containing the necessary literature, guidelines for such work. It is important to provide sections with personal authorization of investigators and forensic specialists among other things, which will allow storing information about investigation methods with limited access. The Chairman was also informed about the systematic work of the Investigative Committee Academies, where special departments work and new training programs have been implemented for specialists in the field of cybercrime investigation, and information law is being studied. The Head of the Department instructed to intensify the work on the preparation of dissertations in this area, as well as to attract talented young people to study with the prospect of further service.

At the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the IC of Russia gave a number of specific instructions to his subordinates related to further discussed initiatives development and start implementing those proposals that were supported by all participants of the meeting. At the same time, he once again emphasized that it is necessary to rely on domestic companies, while interacting with private organizations, as well as continue work on the introduction of Russian forensic equipment and software in the Investigative Committee of Russia.