News

Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin held an operational meeting via video conference on the results of the work of territorial investigative agencies in the past period of 2024. The event was attended by the First Deputy and Deputy Chairmen of the Investigative Committee of Russia, heads of divisions of the central apparatus and of regional investigative bodies of the agency.

At the meeting, it has been noted that certain positive trends have emerged in the activities of the territorial investigative agencies: investigation time frames are gradually decreasing, the number of cases returned from the court for revision has decreased, and the pace of investigators' work on compensating damage caused by crimes has increased.

During the meeting, the results of the investigative agencies’ work in investigating crimes in the migration sphere were discussed. It was noted that in just 6 months of this year, the number of rapes committed by migrants has increased by 5%, and indecent acts against children have increased by 25%. Across the country, the number of extremist crimes committed by migrants has increased by 55%. Such actions cause a wave of public outrage and social tension. "All this requires close attention from law enforcement agencies, an immediate and clear procedural response to violations of the law, systematic preventive measures, a deep understanding of the current regional situation, and consideration of the nuances of territorial migration situations," emphasized the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia. He added that the problem of crime among migrants is closely related to improprieties by employees of supervisory and law enforcement agencies, as well as by entrepreneurs actively hiring foreign labor.

The head of the agency drew attention to the problem of relocating citizens from substandard housing. He stressed: "Often, elderly people, large families, and people with disabilities, including those with limited mobility who cannot leave their apartments independently, reside in such housing, literally trapped in it and isolated from the outside world." A.I. Bastrykin reminded that every head of a territorial investigative agency must ensure constant monitoring of the substandard housing problem.

A.I. Bastrykin also addressed the issue of attacks by stray dogs. "If in 2020 the investigative bodies initiated 17 criminal cases on such facts, then last year there were already 124 cases," he noted, adding: "In such cases, the fault often lies with regional and municipal officials who failed to fulfill their direct duties and did not protect citizens from attacks by aggressive animals."

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee also listened to reports from several heads of regional divisions of the agency, in whose work shortcomings were noted. The shortcomings include long investigation time frames, insufficient activity in solving crimes from previous years, low levels of damage compensation, and a lack of proper procedural response to socially significant issues.

In particular, the head of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Buryatia, V.V. Sukhorukov, specified organizational measures being taken to reduce investigation time frames and improve the quality of investigative work. The head of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Ryazan Region, V.A. Nikeshkin, in turn, provided examples of specific criminal cases in which compensation for damage and restoration of violated rights of citizens had been achieved.

In his report, the head of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Chuvash Republic, A.V. Poltinin, provided information on the results of work in investigating corruption-related crimes and protecting the housing rights of orphans, defrauded shareholders, and citizens awaiting relocation from substandard housing. The head of the Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Kursk Region, A.B. Gusev, reported on personnel and organizational decisions aimed at intensifying work in socially important areas.

Having listened to the reports of the heads of territorial investigation departments, A.I. Bastrykin noted the insufficient effectiveness of personal receptions of citizens held in the specified regions. In addition, he emphasized the need to enhance work on solving crimes from past years, suppressing criminal activities of migrants, and identifying and investigating corruption-related crimes.

The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia listened to the report from the acting head of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for St. Petersburg, O.V. Bobkov, on a high-profile case involving a shooting on Komendantsky Avenue. The conflict between migrants was caused by competition in the field of passenger transportation. The Chairman of the Investigative Committee gave instructions regarding the qualification of the committed acts and demanded that all involved persons be brought to criminal responsibility. Moreover, he ordered to check the legality of the conflict participants' acquisition of Russian citizenship and other documents granting the right to stay in the country.

At the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia gave several instructions to the heads of investigative agencies. In particular, he ordered to focus efforts on suppressing abuses by officials leading to the misuse of budget funds, and to pay special attention to the defense-industrial complex and the fight against corruption. The head of the agency also demanded a principled response to violations of migration legislation and effective suppression of organized criminal activities involving the mass importation of foreign labor. Moreover, he once again emphasized the importance of making timely and justified procedural decisions on crimes related to pressing social issues and problems, especially those affecting the rights of underprivileged population groups.