Mishustin says cybercrime in Russia fell almost a third over eight months
In short
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the number of cybercrimes in Russia fell by almost a third in the first eight months of 2026, referring to common types of online crime. Vedomosti reported that the interior ministry earlier put the drop in IT-related crime at 32% year on year for January–August, and that legislative amendments on the issue were adopted on the president's instruction.
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Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the number of cybercrimes in Russia fell by almost a third over eight months, TASS, RIA Novosti and Vedomosti reported. Speaking at the “Digital Solutions” forum, Mishustin said the decline concerned common types of cybercrime, according to Vedomosti, and that amendments to legislation had been prepared and adopted on the president's instruction. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The interior ministry provided a more detailed picture on 17 September, Vedomosti reported: crimes committed using IT technologies in January–August 2026 fell 32% compared with the same period a year earlier. Within that total, computer security crimes fell 40.4%, remote thefts 19.7% and IT fraud 29%, according to the same data. [ 3 ]
Earlier, the digital ministry, citing interior ministry data, said the number of cybercrimes in the first half of 2026 fell 30% to 252,900, against 371,400 in the first half of 2025, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
The topic has been raised at the top of government before. In March, President Vladimir Putin said that information and warning measures had reduced the number of cybercrimes, including those against pensioners, in 2025, according to Vedomosti. He also said the interior ministry should pay serious attention to fighting cybercrime and step up compensation for victims of fraud, the outlet reported. [ 3 ]
The documents do not list which categories of cybercrime made up the “common types” cited by the prime minister, and neither the forum's location nor any verification of the figures beyond government sources is given. All the data cited covers periods ending in August 2026 or earlier. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The figures are the government's own and were presented by the prime minister as evidence that recently adopted legal amendments are working. Vedomosti's account also links the topic to pressure on the interior ministry to step up compensation for fraud victims, a point raised by the president in March.
Key facts
- Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the number of cybercrimes in Russia fell by almost a third over eight months, according to TASS, RIA Novosti and Vedomosti. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Mishustin said the decline concerned common types of cybercrime, and that amendments to legislation were prepared and adopted on the president's instruction, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
- The interior ministry said on 17 September that crimes committed using IT technologies in January–August 2026 fell 32% year on year, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
- In the same data, computer security crimes fell 40.4%, remote thefts 19.7% and IT fraud 29%, according to Vedomosti. [ 3 ]
- The digital ministry, citing interior ministry data, said cybercrimes fell 30% in the first half of 2026 to 252,900 from 371,400 a year earlier, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
- In March, President Vladimir Putin said that information and warning measures had cut the number of cybercrimes, including against pensioners, in 2025, and said the interior ministry should step up compensation to fraud victims, according to Vedomosti. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which specific categories of cybercrime Mishustin included in the “common types” he referred to. Vedomosti uses the phrase without listing the categories, and TASS and RIA Novosti give no breakdown.
- The city and venue details of the “Digital Solutions” forum where the statement was made. Only Vedomosti names the forum, and no document states where it was held.
- Whether the decline continued after August 2026. All figures in the documents cover January–August 2026 or, for the digital ministry data, the first half of the year.
- Independent verification of the figures. The numbers come from the prime minister and from interior ministry data cited in the documents; no other source is given.