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An operation meeting was held in Kaliningrad under the chairmanship of Colonel General of Justice, Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Elena Evgenievna Leonenko. The meeting focused on the results of reviewing reports and investigating criminal cases involving minors and against minors, as well as in the tax sphere in 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.

The meeting was attended by Major General of Justice and Head of the Procedural Control Department for the Investigation of Certain Types of Crimes of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Evgeniya Viktorovna Minaeva, as well as the heads of the local investigative departments of the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Kaliningrad regions, and the city of St. Petersburg.

In her speech, Elena Leonenko noted the long-term trend of decreasing juvenile delinquency across the country. However, in some regions, including the Northwestern Federal District, and specifically in the Kaliningrad and Arkhangelsk regions, there has been an increase in the number of criminal cases sent to court involving crimes committed by minors.

The Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia pointed out to the attendees the fact that minors most often break the law by committing crimes related to illegal drug trafficking. Typically, minors are involved in the distribution of synthetic drugs bought from unknown persons via the Internet, by creating secret hiding places, which is driven by the prospect of quick and easy money.

Speaking about crimes committed by minors, Elena Leonenko urged the attendees to take comprehensive measures to prevent such actions and in every case where a minor commits a crime, to make sure to determine whether there was an adult who involved them in criminal activity and to identify all accomplices.

When discussing crimes against minors, Elena Evgenievna noted a slight decrease in the number of criminal cases initiated in this category in the Northwestern Federal District but highlighted an increase in the Kaliningrad and Arkhangelsk regions. She defined the priority of protecting the housing rights of orphans, and called for a principled response to all facts of providing them with low-quality housing, theft of allocated funds and their improper use, as well as the need for a legal assessment of the actions of responsible officials. To effectively implement the tasks set by the leadership of the Investigative Committee of Russia, systematic and coordinated interaction with regional and national public organizations for the protection of orphans' rights is required, along with regular personal meeting with orphaned children.

Elena Leonenko also stressed the need to give priority attention to the deaths of children in water bodies, falling out of windows, and attacked by stray dogs. Additionally, she noted the importance of taking systematic measures to ensure children's safety in organized recreation areas, on park rides, in public places, and during organized transportation of groups of children.

The Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation emphasized the important role of comprehensive preventive work by investigative authorities, and organizing effective interaction with the prevention system authorities in order to prevent crimes in the specified areas. In all cases, the priority goal is the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of minors.

The next topic of the meeting was the practice of investigating criminal cases of tax violations. In her report, Elena Leonenko noted an increase in the number of launched tax crime cases nationwide and an improvement in the quality and speed of investigating such cases.

At the same time, Elena Evgenievna pointed out that in the Arkhangelsk and Kaliningrad regions, the proportion of initiated tax crime cases is below the national average. She emphasized that the primary goal in combating tax crimes remains the restitution of damage caused to Russia's budgetary system. Achieving this goal requires the highest level of focus by the heads of investigative departments, including through the active use of interim measures in the form of seizure of property of defaulters. Bringing to justice all persons involved in the commission of tax crimes, as well as identifying facts of legalization of property obtained as a result of crimes of this category, are identified as urgent tasks.